YourZenMine

Whats Not On Our Ipod - Floating Me - Self Titled

2011-04-17T12:55:00.000+10:00

YOURZ

I used to get real excited about new music. I would browse record shops (remember those?) for hours, looking for something new and/or different. Once I had a selection of never-heard-befores, I'd spend the time, in the shop, listening to them to ensure it was worthy enough to be added to my collection.

I'd like to say I lost my excitement because modern technology meant I didn't have to go out and rub shoulders with others like me. Instead, I can simply download anything that takes my fancy. Or maybe, just maybe I'm getting old and cynical, something I have vowed I wouldn't let happen.

Thankfully, bands like Floating Me come along and restore my faith, renew my vigor and rock my little corner of the world. Funnily enough, I happened to find this at one of the few local music stores near where I work.

Comprised of members of influential hard rock Australian bands Cog, Scary Mother and Karnivool, this was never going to be a soft project. There are hints of all three aforementioned bands in their sound - you can't listen to Andrew Gillespie sing and not be reminded of Scary Mother at times - but Floating Me have built something they can rightly call their own.

Along with Gillespie, Floating Me are Lucius Borich of Cog on drums, Jon Stockman of Karnivool on bass and ex Mothers Antony Brown on guitar and Tobias Messiter on keys. Atmospheric and textured as well as filled with some huge rock riffs, Floating Me may well have produced the Aussie rock album of the year.

Don't believe me, then check this out. And while it might not be on our Ipod at the moment, this is about to change.

VERDICT: VITAL

Visual Aspects - M. Ward & Holly Throsby - Enmore Theatre - 20 February l 2011

2011-03-27T14:11:00.000+11:00

YOURZ

Essence is defined simply as the fundamental nature of a thing. In music, this is often mistaken as a derivation of influences, which leads lazy reviewers to comparing new with old, often ignoring the essence of the individual artist. But while modern pop charts continue to descend into the auto-tuned pits of hell (for the most part), there are thankfully new artists making their mark, songwriters who don't subscribe to the moors of modern music, who divorce themselves from the musician-as-a-brand ideology and who actively seek to remain outside the superficial glare of the celebrity spotlight.

One such artist is M. Ward, whose indisputable talent is of the sort reviewers will be using as a reference point in years to come. And it his essence - the broke-down fragility of his voice, the passion and depth of his songwriting and his confident brilliance as a musician - will like ensure this is the case.

If such lofty praise makes me sound like a wanker, then so be it. But there are a few times in a music-lover's life when they come an artist who truly touches them and of whom they never tire of hearing. Mine is a mixed bag: Elvis Costello, Paul Kelly, The Clash, Queens Of The Stoneage, Gorillaz, Deftones and Gomez, to name a few. M. Ward is now also on that list, particularly after seeing him live recently.

I was really pleased we made it in time to see his support, local singer/songwriter Holly Throsby. Accompanied by her band, The Hello Tigers, made up of two incredibly talented multi-instrumentalists, her set of lush indie pop and folk was truly a delight. Featuring tracks from her latest album Team, her set was an almost perfect accompaniment to what was to follow. YourZenMine highly recommend her - here is a taste.

With a stripped bare stage, featuring a microphone, a piano and a guitar on a stand, there was no doubting what M. Ward's performance was going to be about - the songs. When you take away all the normal frippery associated with a modern band, I don't think there would be more than a handful of artists who could perform with as much confidence and consummate ability.

Opening with the instrumental Duet For Guitars #3 before jumping into Lullaby & Exile and Poison Cup before saying a single word to the audience, something I was particularly pleased about. Far too many musicians these days forget that most of us want to hear the songs, not them prattle on about some anecdote or another. My respect levels for Ward went up a couple of more notches.

Moving from the guitar to the piano and back, he enthralled the packed house with tracks like Hold Time, Chinese Translations, Never Had Nobody Like You and a personal favourite, Fuel For Fire, as well as a cover of the David Bowie track, Let's Dance, retold as an alt-country gem. Sung with Ward's gravel-laced voice, it gave the track a dark menace not apparent in the original. He truly is a modern legend in the making and if you get the chance to see him live, I have no doubt you will agree. This is an early contender for gig of the year.

VERDICT: VITAL

Visual Aspects - Daybreakers

2011-03-26T13:15:00.000+11:00

YOURZ

This year, we intend to randomly select movies from our DVD collection to review, kind of similar to the blindfold method we employed last year for our CD collection. This is the first DVD off the rack, a fairly recent Australian-made movie called Daybreakers (2009).

Written and directed by the Spierig Brothers and starring Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, Sam Neil and Claudia Karvan, this is yet another vampire-related movie, albeit with a sci-fi bent. Despite being a hackneyed theme now, Daybreakers is actually a slighty refreshing take on the whole vampire shtick and thankfully, there is nary an angst-ridden teen in sight.

The story takes place in the near future when vampires have become the dominant species. Blood supplies are very low and human beings are being hunted and milked into extinction. The directors did a good job in giving a decent enough back story to hang the movie off, but it did leave me wondering why the vamps didn't start some sort of captive breeding program to ensure their food source didn't run out. But hey, this wouldn't make much of a story, would it?

Ethan Hawkes' character is a vampire haematologist with a conscience who happens to work for the largest supplier of blood to the population (kind of like a vegetarian hippy working for McDonalds, I guess). Without giving too much away, he meets a group of humans, led by Dafoe's character who tell him they have a cure to 'the vampire plague'. He sets about helping them develop it.

The cast work well together, although the script gets a bit ponderous at points. The combination of sci-fi and horror works well enough, although initially I thought there was a good chance for this to be more innovative and without the usual cliches. But the high action end, complete with gory set pieces, is a bit of let down. Its almost as though brothers Spierig ran out of creative juice and fell back on the same sort of devices I've seen time and again. Even so, while it certainly isn't vital, I wouldn't call it a complete waste of time.

VERDICT: Hmmm...

It's alive, I tell you, alive!

2011-03-23T12:44:00.000+11:00

Heya friends and fans,

This is a quick note to let you all know we're still alive and kicking. Unfortunately, though, Mine has lost her blogging mojo and doesn't know where to find it. It looks kinda like a cute, fuzzy orange kitten except with larger teeth. And while it won't bite, it reacts better if you feed it non-gluten, sugar-free cookies of the dark chocolate variety. But don't corner it, whatever you do. Hopefully, it will come home soon and Mine will be a blogging babe again.

In the meantime, I will be trying to post a few regular articles of my own, with blanket approval from Mine. I made the suggestion that I could write her parts as I believe everybody is entitled to my opinion and I have enough for both of us. For some reason, however, she vehemently vetoed the idea. I was only trying to be helpful.

Look out for a few posts in the near future.

YourZ

Visual Aspects - Battlestar Galactica

2011-02-08T19:41:00.000+11:00

MINE

YourZ and I have been in love with this series for ever. I'm sure his love is largely borne from a certain red dress worn by a certain Cylon, but I can forgive him that. Can't you? Go on, Google "Caprica Six" and forgive him here and now. Remember to come back!

I had an interesting conversation with my brother-in-law about the merits of BSG versus The Wire, which of course we also love. He is of the opinion that it's "cheating" for BSG to tackle difficult issues, because it's science fiction and therefore the writers can make any situation fit; whereas in The Wire they're restricted to real life situations. Of course, I think that's a load of hooey. Both of these series are fabulous, in different ways. It's just BSG has the most fabulous CGI to go along with the amazing acting and top-notch scripts. Shiny! Oh, wait, that's another TV series, I'm getting ahead of myself here. We recently watched BSG end-to-end, because last year we finally bought a flat-screen TV - so we wanted to watch all our great visual-effects movies and series over again, with the oh-wow picture.

OK, so BSG takes places in a universe where there are 12 colonies of humans on 12 planets which are kind of named after signs of the Zodiac and they worship multiple gods and they've formed a truce with the Cylons which are robots that became self-aware and then rebelled years ago and now the Cylons are back and some of them look like humans and they're still pissed off so they nuke all the human's planets and only about 40-thousand people get away on a bunch on spaceships including... Battlestar Galactica.

After that it gets complicated.

My favourite part? The way the series examined summary executions and imprisonment - from both sides of the human/Cylon debate. I loved how this series put the issues being tested in Iraq and at Guantanamo on to prime-time US screens, right then and there. And vote-rigging!

My favourite character? Gaius Baltar. Selfish, self-serving, cowardly, tricksy and an unwitting traitor, he manages to survive through the basest of human emotions. Yet toward the end, he seems to redeem himself - by supposedly laying bare his soul in a tell-all autobiography. Whoever thought him up deserves all the writing accolades there are.

My favourite squeeze? Chief Galen Tyrol. I don't know why, there are some much more conventionally handsome men featured - Anders and Helo spring to mind - but I love the Chief. He's huggable.

And while she's frustrating and impenetrable and likeable as well as facepalm idiotic from time to time: I love Starbuck.

We haven't seen the BSG spin-off Caprica, and it can't have been that good if it got canned after one series, but I guess we will when it's released here on DVD. Completists that we are. Hey, that reminds me - we haven't re-watched The Plan yet!

VERDICT: Vital

YOURZ

Initially, my review was going to be very simple:

"Watch it if only for the bodacious, deadly Clyon babe in the painted-on red dress."

But on careful deliberation, I decided this would make me appear extremely shallow. I'm now gonna go for some depth:

Watch it if only for the magnificent cast, the effects, the story, the drama, the intrigue, the pointy-headed robots from hell and cool spaceships. And, if this isn't enough, watch it for the bodacious, deadly Clyon babe in the painted-on red dress.

I think you can guess who my favourite character is, can't you?

VERDICT: Vital

Visual Aspects - Walking in the Royal National Park

2011-02-06T22:57:00.000+11:00

YOURZ

You know, sometimes I need to be reminded how bloody lucky I am to live where I do. Our recent trip to Royal National Park was one such time.

At Mine's behest, I went to a great website called Wildwalks and printed out a handy guide to what's known as the Bundeena To Marley walk. According to the guide, the walk is about 9.5 km and would take us about 3 1/2 hours and rated 'hard' but we were up for a physical challenge. It also meant I could cross it off my list as I'd always wanted to go.

The park is about 30 km south of Sydney CBD. It was first established as a park in 1879 and is the second oldest national park In 2006, it was added to the Australian National Heritage list. It is mainly coastal heath with belts of littoral rainforest where shallow valleys dip the walker down to the coast. We followed easy instructions that led us to a dirt car park on a stretch of the Bundeena road.

The track starts out on opposite side of the road. Ducking under the natural gates of She-Oak, the path starts out very easily and leads the walker gently down to the first ridge. Here, I indulged my love of panorama photography.

Royal National Park panorama

We heard rather than saw a few of the local birds but spotted a New Holland Honeyeater as it made its rounds of the Banksia and various heath flowers. But apart from the occasional skink, the heat of the day was obviously keeping the local fauna under cover. Along the track, we saw some beautiful banksias, red gums, and numerous unknown flowers like these:

The next stop was Deer Pond, so named because at one time, Royal National Park had quite a few deer in it and this was one of their favourite drinking holes. The cooling fresh water and lovely shady strip of sand made it a welcome stop for us too.

Deer Pond

After a refreshing dip and a quick snack, it was onwards to the beach.

This part of the track was probably the hardest going. We're reasonably fit but while we didn't struggle, we didn't talk much either. The track led out on to a much larger fire break that switch backs down to the coast line. It was more exposed and we really felt the heat but could also hear the ocean pounding in the distance. The payoff came after some good hard slogging, with the heath opening up to views like this one.

Looking down to the coast

Not too long after, we dropped down the final part of the track, one way leading to Marley Beach, the other to Little Marley. We went north to the big one, hoping to find some shade and a spot for a picnic. Marley Beach, however, is quite exposed and the surf was huge and angry. We headed back south to Little Marley. Almost conversely, it has a nice overhanging low cliff at one end, which offered up a great shady spot to stop and have a break. The sheltered little beach provided a picturesque backdrop too.

Little Marley Beach

After a bit of relaxing, it was time to get going back up although this was a little tougher, 'up' being the operative word and all. We stopped again at what I've renamed the 'Yes, Dear' Pond, in tribute to Mine as its one of her favourite expressions. After another cooling dip, we hit the final stretch back to the car park.

I think we worked out the whole round trip took us 4 1/2 hours, but given we'd stopped along the way, this is hardly surprising. What is surprising, however, is how beautiful the area is and how close it is to the city. It is truly one of Sydney's hidden jewels and well worth a day out. Next time, we'll do the overnight coast walk, okay Mine? Mine? Hello...

VERDICT: VITAL

MINE

For one reason and another, YourZ and I have decided this year to scrap our pricey gym membership and take more time exercising au natural. (No, you Philistines, not in the nude, in the open air!) Thus, the desire to tramp around large parts of parkland. It's also part of our desire to take in as much of what Sydney has to offer as possible, as we've decided it's not going to be our forever-home. When we have a free weekend (and with other commitments plus my moving shift schedule, these are rare) we plan to see what the many national Parks in our area have to offer.

I must admit, I didn't look too closely at this walk before YourZ suggested it, and if I'd noticed it was rated "hard" I might have protested. But even though it tested us (I had sore calves and glutes for a couple of days) it was so worth it. The scenery! The wildlife! The beaches! And all less than an hour from our front door!

I guess the main thing I found from this - apart from the fact that I want to do more, please - is that I've often driven past Royal National Park without actually seeing quite how big and wild and varied it is. And while I'm sure the next walk will be somewhere else - Ku-Ring-Gai Chase or Lane Cove perhaps - I do hope we go back to it. It's spectacular.

VERDICT: Vital

Because We Don't Do Everything Together - Primal Scream

2011-02-03T16:10:00.000+11:00

MINE

I'd ummed and aaahed about going to this gig for a while - chiefly because all the tickets sold out and were being hawked on eBay for ridiculous sums. But then! They moved the venue to a larger one, issued more tickets, and finally I got to go and see one of The Albums That Changed My Life being performed in its entirety.

Screamadelica has been reviewed in these pages before, when I wished for a fairy godmother to grant me a trip to see just this show. You know how I feel about it, so I won't be telling you about the songs. What I will tell you is that Bobby Gillespie is still as skinny as a streak of pelican shit, has his own hair and a well-developed dress sense, and the band... the band can play their bloody socks off!

Although it was in a way quite fabulous to see them at Selina's, a venue I used to frequent a lot in my youth - it's just down the road from a few places I've lived in over the years - in many other ways it was awful. There are much better venues in Sydney these days, and just because you can fit more people in to see a band, doesn't mean you should. Also, this was the first time I'd been screened by the Coogee Bay Hotel's new identification system - which scanned my fingerprint! How high-tech and deeply Big-Brotherish.

But although I'd timed my arrival so I'd miss the support act (sorry about that, but going to a band on my own means they get the heave-ho) the distinct lack of bar facilities per head of punter meant I saw the first two songs off the album while waiting in line for a drink. I'd had the foresight to stand in the line closest to the stage, so managed to shake my tailfeather while waiting - that is until some gurning twat proceeded to pant and sweat all over me while - get this - trying to pick me up! Truly, it was hard to resist the temptation to point out I was old enough to be his mother's younger sister (ahem), but I must admit thinking to myself "That Revlon Photo Finishing Powder was well worth the cash" - well, it was either that or his drug-addled eyesight.

After grabbing two vodka-and-somethings I found a place to stand at the side of the stage where there was just barely enough room to breathe. Fortunately Screamadelica has some nice quiet songs in the middle section. Unfortunately the Essex Girl in front of me was using them to discuss something (her truly appalling haircut?) with her boyfriend. In fact, the whole place appeared to be backpacker central, and it reminded me just exactly why I've enjoyed our move one suburb down the coast - less Likely Lads and Lasses throwing up on the footpath every weekend.

After the album was through, the lads came back on stage for a bunch of great songs from other albums - Country Girl, Jailbird, Suicide Bomb and Rocks - after which I quickly ducked outside and into the first cab I could find, before that crowd came boiling out on to the pavement. I wouldn't have missed it for the world, even though I had seen them before ('95 Big Day Out). These guys can play. That gig was stifling hot and they rocked its collective socks off.

VERDICT: Vital!

Sorry there's no pics - I am truly useless with a camera phone, and most cameras generally.

Because We Don't Do Everything Together - Deftones, UNSW Roundhouse - Sydney - 28 January 2011

2011-01-29T14:18:00.003+11:00

I'm not a huge metal fan but there are a few acts that really rock my world. And of these, my favourite is, without a doubt, Deftones. I've been a fan of theirs since I first heard Around The Fur. But listening to them is not anything like seeing them live. Thanks to a Christmas present from Mine, this is exactly what I was going to be doing.

Their only side-show in Sydney while touring with the Big Day Out, Deftones made it an all-ages to accommodate their younger fans. As a consequence, I barely had time to look at the merch stand (disappointing) before Deftones started their set. I raced up stairs to the balcony level and was surprised by how good a view I was able to get. Even so, the few photos I took with my phone don't really do the position justice. And of course, being the sort of gig it is, the constant jostling made it even more difficult. See what I mean:

Looking down on the thrashing sea (well, large pond) of punters, I was glad to be standing in the relative calm on the balcony. Stand-in bass player, Sergio, looked to be at home with the rest of the band, working seamlessly with Abe Cunningham's percussion and darting between his mic and the front of the stage, while Stephen Carter's hulking presence is personified by his massive guitar riffs layering over Frank Delgado's keys and soundscapes.

But if the night belongs to anyone, it is to Chino Moreno, who not only held the audience in the palm of his hands but whose vocals were every bit as powerful as they are on record. Standing on a platform over the top of the fold-back speakers, it wasn't hard to imagine it as an altar, with Chino sacrificing his voice over and over, much to the delight of the sweaty throng.

The set, a massive 23 songs, included material from all their releases. I loved hearing older tracks like Minerva, Nosebleed, My Own Summer (Shove It) and personal favourite Around The Fur. I was a little disappointed they didn't play Back To School but with six albums of material, its not hard to understand why it didn't make it. There is no denying the power of the new tracks included in the the set however. Diamond Eyes was made to be performed live while Sextape provides a welcome change of pace between Royal and big crowd favourite, Rocket Skates. Check out the full set list here.

I'm sure Deftones have no problems playing the big stages, but there is nothing like seeing a band such as this in a small venue. And while it's still early in the year and I may end up eating these words; could this be a contender for gig of 2011? Only time will tell, I guess.

VERDICT: Vital!

Forays Into Forgotten Vinyl - Vinyl Tidings

2011-01-27T12:05:00.002+11:00

YOURZ

Mine and YourZ truly were weaned on a diet of flat black plastic growing up. As we moved from teen petulance to young adult… well, erm, petulance, our vinyl collections were suddenly usurped by digital interlopers called CDs. Because we (and yes, I have the courage, in this instance, to speak for both of us) are attracted by bright shiny things, our poor vinyl collections were superseded.

Also out were the good old reliable turntables, replaced first by CD players then by DVD players. We loved the new technology because we could pogo, mosh and/or bump'n'grind in front of the stereo without any fear of a causing a skip, jump or scratch.

Unlike most, however, we couldn’t let go of our albums. When we combined households years ago, we both dragged two crates of records into the mix as well. We used the full as speaker stands but found the more we looked at them, the more we longed for a record player.

Then late last year, Mine purchased, for a modest price, a Technics SL-D2 direct drive turntable (which apparently was considered quite good in its day). Soon after, she also got a great preamp as a Christmas present. And this is where the music part of this post starts.

Christmas Day, instead of traditional carols, we played every single Midnight Oil album and the one single we owned. It was like listening to a time machine, a powerful reminder of days gone by. We listened to lots of other music too - The Flowers, Divinyls, John Kennedy, Paul Kelly, The Hollowmen and INXS, to name just the Australian acts (or at least those we could remember - we had a very jolly Christmas). But it was Midnight Oil who ruled the day.

We started with Place Without A Postcard, followed by Head Injuries, then 10, 9, 8..., Red Sails In The Sunset and the Power And The Passion single with a dub version on the B side - not necessarily in the right chronological order, but close. As I listened, I felt connected with a time when life was stretched way out in front of me, brimming with all sorts of possibilities. It teased me with the exuberance of youth I no longer have while reminding me of how good I have it now. It was also the perfect way to spend a Christmas Day with the one I love.

VERDICT: Vital

MINE

While many of my friends and acquaintances have chosen to throw away their vinyl collection, I've never been able to my records go. While more and more old music is re-released on CD and for download, many of the albums I loved in my youth miss out. So for some time now, I've trawled the pages of eBay looking for my holy grail - a Direct Drive turntable in good condition at a reasonable price.

I have to confess that I bought this particular model because it was one I'd used before. In fact, when my first husband bought it sometime in the late 70s it was very expensive and state-of-the-art. I love the fact that it has a series of black lines on the side of the platen - so you can adjust the speed for pin-point 33 and 45 rpm speeds.

When I first bought it, we went in search of a phono preamp and picked one up for a very small sum. Be warned, cheap preamps aren't worth the cash, and we abandoned our first vinyl session pretty quickly after finding a bass hum - probably because it wasn't earthed. But Christmas Day dawned and the first crisp, clear notes rang out. As did the hisses and crackles from long-ago times, and the odd jump as we re-learned to tip-toe past the turntable. (Do you have the same song in your head that I do?)

What I thought was remarkable about the rest of that day wasn't that we chose to play all our Midnight Oil (come on, Peter Garrett is our federal MP!) but that there were very few arguments about what we were going to play. We pulled out lots of albums, scattered them all around the room and had a hoot of a time. We danced (well, I danced), sang and generally carried on as if we were 20 years younger.

More please.

VERDICT: Vital

The Comeback

2011-01-25T08:01:00.000+11:00

Yes, we can hear you. We know we've been a bit slack but as you can see, we put our designers to work while we swanned about enjoying time with family and friends - indulging ourselves copiously and often. Twas the season to be jolly and all...

We talked a lot about where we might take the whole 'YourZenMine' thing once we'd finished our initial challenge. All the hours spend at endless meetings, the arguments and debates can be condensed to the following five categories:

What Isn't On Our Ipod
Forays Into Forgotten Vinyl
Visual Aspects
Because We Don't Do Everything Together
A Way With Words

The meanings of each of these is either evident or will become so as we continue.

The astute among you will also notice the ratings have changed to suit our broader interests. Feel free to make use of these any time you fancy.

And off we go...

The Final Wrapup

2010-12-31T12:00:00.167+11:00

YOURZ

It's the Final Wrapup... (to the tune of Final Countdown by Europe)

First of all, apologies for putting that dreadful song in your head but I really couldn't help it...

So, we made it. All the way to the end. Three hundred and sixty five days of music reviews. Sure, there were a few moments when we thought we might not get here but thankfully, we stuck to our guns and kept on truckin'. And I'm glad we did. The feeling of achievement is undeniable. In fact, aside from a couple of reviews being a little late on the day, we've not missed one single deadline. For a world champion procrastinator like me, this is huge.

There have been some absolutely wonderful albums we've reviewed over the year, so much so, it's hard for me to pick a favourite. The variety has been quite astounding. I'm also pleased to say I think there was a great balance between new and old music. Some of the ones that come to mind include The Dead Weather, The Beatles, Paul Kelly, The Clash, Gorillaz, Sleepy Jackson, QOTSA, Florence & The Machine, Washington and Them Crooked Vultures, to name a very few. Somewhat surprisingly, instead of reducing our collection to a more manageable number as we thought this might do, our collection has actually grown. And we couldn't be happier.

One of the best things about starting this is meeting some great, like-minded people from around the world. It is a constant source of delight to me to get a comment from someone living on the other side of the planet who, through no particular fault of their own, shares similar views. That sense of being part of a community is wonderful.

With this in mind, our final give-away will be going to the one of the people who have offered us great advice, comments and friendship over the year. This is not to say you all don't deserve something, because you do. But we're not Oprah (thankfully), so we've had to make a hard decision about who its going to be. Our friend Martin, at Music Obsessive, has provided some great comments, food for thought and support over the year and we are very grateful for it. There is a special padded bag of goodness on its way to him, along with our heartfelt thanks.

A big thanks to Mine; my lovely wife, best friend and the smartest, prettiest sparring partner I could have ever hoped for - thanks for putting up with my raving, ranting and general palaver. You continue to rock my world!

So, where to now. One thing we know is we'll be taking a bit of a break for the first couple of weeks of the year to collect ourselves and get some idea of what we'll be doing. Rest assured, we'll be back, but just not every day. And we've already decided to expand our reviews to include all the different interests we have, both together and separately. And we look forward to sharing these with you. Thanks for sticking with us so far.

Happy New Year!

MINE

Let him get in the first word and he never shuts up... that's something I've come to love about YourZ. Of course, I have a tendency to babble too, so often the volume of stream-of-consciousness at or house reaches death metal levels.

I'll admit that when we were coming up the final days, all I wanted to do was stop. It's been a bit of a stretch for me, just because writing is what I do for a living and this has on occasion felt like a second, part-time job. Some days it's hard to get enthusiastic about a review when I've had eight hours of intensive reading, writing and editing under my belt already. But that's not to say that I haven't also managed to write a lot of this in my downtime from said day job.

I guess it's the enthusiasm that YourZ has managed to hold for this project through thick and thin that's kept me tagging along; sometimes willingly, sometimes with that sulky teenage whine and sometimes kicking my heels in an all-out childish tantrum. So I guess I have to thank him, too for getting us through it. And for enthusing me enough to consider keeping this going next year. Expanding our horizons with more things to review. But always with our two points of view.

We've made some great friends along the way, and I hope you'll hang in there while we take a breath and regroup. New horizons in the New Year. Hope you all have a fabulous time. As a good friend of mine said to me in high school - "Have fun, rave lots, don't O.D." Wise words that I've managed to stick by for some thirty-odd years.

Queens of the Stone Age - Rated R

2010-12-31T00:01:00.057+11:00

YOURZ

Here is a recap for you: we started this project not because we love writing (which we do) or because we love music (which we do) but because we basically wanted a novel way of going through our collection and moving them to our newly-acquired (at the time) Ipod. So it is rather telling that Queens Of The Stone Age are one of the very few bands whose every CD we own have been all put to the digital library.

I think everyone who is a fan has a favourite QOTSA album. Every album is a winner in my world but Rated R is the biggest winner of them all. Maybe its because around the time it was released, I saw them tour for Big Day Out. Or maybe because it's just a beer-swilling, drug-enhancing, kick-arse and take numbers rock album that does surprisingly well with the ladies too.

Yes, this does have their anthemic Feel Good Hit Of The Summer, but it also has the best recording of Monsters In The Parasol, a fantastic piece of rock nonsense and the way-cool wig out that is Better Living Through Chemistry. It also has the crazy shit provided by Nick Oliveri, whose live appearance did not include anything done in the nude, thankfully. And seeing them perform Lost Art Of Keeping A Secret was a highlight I still remember.

I don't think we could end this project on a better note. I'm sure Mine would probably disagree but then, isn't this what this project has been all about?

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

Feel Good Hit of the Summer. Ain't nothing better. Frankly, I don't really care about the rest of the album, all I want to do is turn this up L-O-U-D and dance.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP (wait, didn't I already say that?)

For more information: http://www.qotsa.com/

Massive Attack - Blue Lines

2010-12-30T00:01:00.066+11:00

MINE

Not only do I own and love Blue Lines, and I think everything else Massive Attack have done, but I'm still holding on to a video of theirs for Be Thankful (even though we don't even own a video player any more) because it's my favourite video ever. Of all time. But now, I guess it's available on YouTube or MySpace or something - see? Um, that's emphatically not G-rated!

I love that song so much I own the Paul Oakenfold remix single and consider it every bit as essential as the album. But I still haven't seen them live. Funny, each time they've toured, I've either missed out on hearing the announcement or I've been too poor to afford tickets.

However, this is one album that gets its time on the home dancefloor. Over and over again.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

YOURZ

What to say about Blue Lines other than it is another absolutely essential piece of music. I still find it hard to believe this was the début for Massive Attack, but there you go.

One thing I didn't reveal when we reviewed Mezzanine is that I've never actually owned a single Massive Attack record because every one else I knew owned them and played them all the time. I have to thank Mine for adding this and their other albums to our collection. It would have been lacking without them. And thanks for picking this one out too.

The video accompanying Safe From Harm is still one of my favourites too.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information go to http://www.massiveattack.com/

Beck - Odelay

2010-12-29T00:01:00.075+11:00

YOURZ

This diminutive Scientologist, born and bred in LA, has had a huge amount of influence on me as a songwriter and producer. I've been a big fan ever since his first major label release, Mellow Gold, and his independent releases but if there is one album that defines him, then it is Odelay, winning numerous awards when it was released in 1996, including a Grammy. It has since consistently appeared on best-of lists right around the world.

Like a lot of music I love, Beck bravely explores the boundaries between genres, breaking through the confining walls of folk, pop, punk, hip hop, country and whatever the heck else to create something brilliantly idiosyncratic, amazing and absolutely essential.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

OK, this is better Beck. Confirmed readers will know I wasn't impressed with the album the pointy stick selected of the (seemingly hundreds) of Beck albums YourZ owns. This one is much, much better. I like it. Um.

OK, so I don't have much more to say about it. Which seems a bit silly, given that I've had to wait about 24 hours to do this review, because I wasn't feeling very well. But after about 12 hours' sleep, I'm still no closer to imparting any words of wisdom.

Guess I'll just have to say sorry for the delay on Odelay. Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information go to http://www.beck.com/

Turin Brakes - The Optimist LP

2010-12-28T00:01:00.085+11:00

MINE

Sometimes my husband and I differ on things. No, really! And one of these things is kind of good for me, but it also annoys me. You see, while to most people my music collection (before YourZ) seemed wide and varied, his was and is truly huge. A large part of that is because... how do I put this nicely... he sometimes has a bit of a short attention span.

Which means sometimes he doesn't want to play the old faithful numbers. There's this new band or artist he's bought, and he knows I'll really love it, and the annoying thing is he's usually right, but then sometimes I think he just doesn't get the fact that some days I want to listen to the album I know I'm going to love.

Which is The Optimist. Top to tail, beginning to end, beautiful, layered, brilliantly produced, those edgy yet sweet voices, this album is one our collection will never be without. It's the album I want to play on this first night we move into our new home, up on a hill in a tropical town in Queensland, looking out over the dark and lush vegetation with the lights twinkling in the distance. It's yet another album I have to thank YourZ for... and for that reason I can never be too annoyed with him when he wants me to listen to something new.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

YOURZ

This is one of Mine's choices but if she hadn't chosen it, I would have (in fact, I deliberately left it from my five because I knew she would end up picking it). (Mine says: well aren't you the clever clogs then!) I don't have any fancy story about how I came to hear Turin Brakes. But every so often, a piece of music comes into your life that is so clearly meant for you, it is a wonder it isn't simply gift-wrapped with your name on it. Turin Brakes, for me, is one such band.

Some years ago now, musical friends and I would regularly gather in the back room of a house I shared with an ex-girlfriend (hi Maz). This room was off the kitchen, so close to all the things a bunch of musicians would need: a kettle, coffee and tea fixings and a fridge for alcohol. We'd start with rounds of coffee and cigarettes, warming up our fingers on tunes we all knew. I'd set up a few microphones and maybe get the recording equipment ready to make a rough of the proceedings. We'd move on to beer or vodka as the day wore one, getting looser and louder and having a ball.

Lots of music inspired us then. Some of the names you'd recognise (David Bowie, Beck, Jeff Buckley, Led Zeppelin) and some were new to most of us. Turin Brakes, and The Optimist LP particularly, were one such band. Their acoustic-driven, harmony-laden tracks had us singing along at the tops of our voices, long after we'd put down our instruments and started on the second case of beer. And while we never went much further than that room, we were the best band in the world for a little while there.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For further information go to http://www.turinbrakes.com/

The Clash - London Calling

2010-12-27T00:01:00.042+11:00

YOURZ

I never got the opportunity to see The Clash live. But in the last couple of weeks, I was able to see two of the original members performing together live when we saw Gorillaz live. Sure, both Mick Jones and Paul Simonon aren't the young men they were when they made London Calling, but it didn't matter to me. Seeing them on stage with Damon Albarn was something I'll never forget.

As I stated in the review we did of their greatest hits earlier this year, if we lost our collection tomorrow, London Calling would be the first album I'd replace. It is absolutely indespensible, a stunning album that expands itself well beyond its limited 'punk' label.

I can't name a single track as a favourite. I find it impossible. How can I pick Rudi Can't Fail over Hateful or Train In Vain (Stand By Me) over Clampdown? See my dilemma. The Mick sung tracks over the Joe sung tracks. It aint gonna happen, not ever.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP - what are we gonna do now?

MINE

I can't imagine ever being without this album. It's been with me since the moment it came out, when I'd sit on the floor of my best friend's living room, playing her brother's copy and listening to every note, singing along with the songs from the the lyrics on the inner sleeves. I've had it on vinyl and now we have this brilliant Deluxe Edition. Which reminds me, we've got so many of these editions and we never take out the DVDs and watch them. Aha! A mission for the Christmas break!

In my youth, before I owned the album myself, I recorded my best friend's brother's copy on cassette. On a 90 minute cassette, so the double album could fit on both sides. Anybody remember those? The C90s that left a tiny bit of room on the end, so you'd search around for another song or two to fit?

Re-listening to London Calling today, I've been stunned by how fresh and sharp it still sounds. From the distinctive twangs of the opening number, it puts you on notice that this is music to be listened to. My favourite? Lost in the Supermarket. Yours?

VERDICT: TURN IT UP guaranteed personality

For more information: http://www.theclash.com/

Kirsty MacColl - What Do Pretty Girls Do?

2010-12-26T00:01:00.053+11:00

MINE

So I didn't pick Kite, my favourite Kirsty album. And I didn't pick one of the more "complete" best-of's that I've got. But I picked this one, because it's a compilation of some live sessions she did for the BBC. Now if you know Kirsty (like I know Kirsty) you know she didn't really enjoy performing in front of people (until later in her life). So getting a live recording is a bit of a bonus.

Here she shows a lot of her country stylings, and particularly my favourite song, Don't Come The Cowboy With Me Sonny Jim. A hymn for any girl who's been treated like dirt after giving her all, this version is kind of close to the original. But the standout version is her voice-and-guitar stying of He's On the Beach, which was originally production-packed. (And for all of you northern hemisphere types, on the beach is exactly where YourZ and I hope to be today.)

The album also features a duet with Billy Bragg of A New England. Made me wonder if he misses her.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP and he says it's brilliant there

YOURZ

I could have guessed Mine would pick a Kirsty MacColl CD of some sort. Predictable much?

When we reviewed her earlier this year (see it here) I said while I appreciated her talent, I found it all a bit too nice for my liking. While there are some pretty cool tracks on What Do Pretty Girls Do, a lot of this is just a bit too country for me.

However, there are two versions of A New England on here and I could listen to both over and again without any effort. The duo with Billy Bragg is just about perfect. And the guitar groove of My Affair coupled with that wondeful voice was a very pleasant surprise indeed. And Bad is anything but. Still, its not enough for me to say anything but...

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

For more information: http://www.kirstymaccoll.com/

Christmas Cocktails

2010-12-25T00:01:00.075+11:00

YOURZ

Feliz Navidad, Happy Hanukkah, Joyeux Noel, Shub Naya Baras or Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan, depending on where you are.

Well, here it is, the last compilation. Throughout the year, we've had many discussions about the compilations we reviewed. But for this one, I didn't have a choice. Mine insisted it had to be this one and when she insists, its pointless arguing. I was hoping I might find a CD called something like A Very Rock Christmas or Indie Xmas Tunes. I would have even settled on Metal Yuletide (I can even see the cover of this one - a black christmas tree with razor wire tinsel and grenade-like baubles). Alas, for all the looking I did, I couldn't find anything.

But this compilation isn't too bad, I suppose. At the very least, it doesn't make me gag, which is a good thing. There are even a few songs on here I actually don't mind. Lou Rawl's Christmas Is turns up the heat as only he can do while Ray Anthony doing Christmas Kisses gets the toes tapping. But the one track that does it for me every time would have to be The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole, even though the imagery is completely wrong for us living in the Southern Hemisphere.

I hope you all have a wonderful, relaxed and happy holiday season. Merry Christmas to all!

VERDICT: TURN IT UP and pass the gravy

MINE

Merry Christmas to all... and here's hoping you'll be having as happy a time as YourZ and I will be enjoying. Among the other traditions we enjoy there'll be a screening of Monty Python's Life of Brian, and the consumption of entirely too much alcohol. But also, I'll be playing this CD. In fact, having to preview it for this review has moved me from "bah-humbug" mode to being positively... things ending in "olly" (Thank you T Pratchett)

I love this collection for its funk, swing and cha-cha. And especially for Kaye Starr's version of (Everybody's Waiting For) the Man With the Bag, which I've promised myself I'll remember all the words to by, um, today.

But maybe we'll also celebrate the iPod by putting together a list of kind-of Christmas songs. Any suggestions?

VERDICT: TURN IT UP ho, ho, ho

For more information: http://www.ultralounge.com/

Regurgitator - Tu-Plang

2010-12-24T00:01:00.070+11:00

MINE

Sometimes frenzied and always entertaining, Regurgitator are one of those bands who hovered just outside my orbit. Oh sure, I'd turn them up when they came on the radio, but they didn't quite make it into my hot little hand when I ventured into a music shop.

And that doesn't really surprise me when I listen to this album. For me, it has its moments... but that's where I stop. The change of pace and style throughout the album feels to me like a lack of cohesiveness. And I don't really know enough about the band to comment about why that might be.

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

YOURZ

Coming out in 1996, Tu Plang was a breath of fresh air to an industry overwhelmed by post-grunge bands, wanna be indie popsters and *shudder* Savage Garden. Their magpie-like eclecticism was brave, daring and a little bit naughty too.

Opening with a sharp, self-deprecating dig at the music industry in the form of I Sucked A Lot Of Cock To Get Where I Am (and the laugh but gag but laugh line of I keep on rinsing again and again), the 'Gurge swing between indie-pop gems, frenetic electronica, savvy hip hop and even a stab at surf music instrumentals with 348 Hz, all with equal aplomb. Fittingly, it won both Alternative Album of the Year and Best Debut at the Australian Recording Industry Awards (ARIA) that year.

Importantly, it showed a fickle industry that there was plenty of room for bands to explore the boundaries of contemporary music and gain a strong fan base at the same time. And while record companies struggled then (even as they do now) to try and pigeon-hole music for the sake of demographics, bands like this consistently prove them wrong by saying fuck categorisation and fuck demographics.

For all the years Regurgitator has been around, all the hits they've had and all the albums they've released, this remains my favourite by far. In my mind, not only was it one of the best releases of the 90s but one of the best Australian releases ever.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://regurgitator.net/

Garbage - Version 2.0

2010-12-23T00:01:00.076+11:00

YOURZ

My exposure to Garbage has been through women in my life. In fact, I remember getting a phone call from Mine just before she and I started dating, asking if I'd like to go to a Garbage concert as she had a last minute spare ticket after the friend she was going with (g'day Dom) fell off his motor bike. I had to decline but not long after, returned the gesture. The rest, as they say in the classics, is history.

We've waxed about Garbage before but this album is probably the quintessential one for many of the fans. It certainly contains some of their biggest hits in When I Grow Up and I Think I'm Paranoid along with their almost trademarked hybrid sound. And while Version 2.0 is polished to a sheen, thankfully none of the magic has been rubbed off.

And damn it, when Shirley sings "Darling, how would it feel if we sleep together?" I want to jump on the next plane to where ever she is and show her. But I think I'd be last in a very, very long line.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

Killer, killer, killer album. The band at their balls-to-the-wall best. That hot, hot blending of rock, pop and dance that made this album the best thing they've ever done.

My personal favourite is the song that's kept me going through many a hard time, The Trick Is To Keep Breathing. Although the album is chock full of hits, it's this song that I return to over and over again. Because it's me. It's how I am. It's the point I got to after a lot of ups and downs in my life, and it's sung to me by one of my favourite voices. How good does that get?

Ah, but they're recording, and releasing a new album and TOURING to support it next year. Be still my beating heart. Will it be possible that I'll be in the same room as Shirley Manson once again? Oh Father Christmas, if you love me at all, I don't want a big red india-rubber ball like King John did (AA Milne) but please, please will you make sure Garbage come here? I promise I'll be good(ish)!

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information go to: http://www.garbage.com/

Sebadoh - Bakesale

2010-12-22T00:01:00.069+11:00

MINE

Oh, I'm sorry, YourZ - I know this is your first favourite and I tried, I really tried to like it. But it's no way as good as Harmacy - except perhaps for the opening number. The rest of it was kind of ordinary. It's pretty typical of that indie sound that was all around in 1994. The production's OK but there's nothing to make me wake up and say hello.

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

YOURZ

My first choice out is Bakesale, by Sebadoh. This album, probably more than any other of the time (with a possible exception being Slanted & Enchanted by Pavement), was the one that helped define me as both a fan and a songwriter. I wasn't interested in the glamour and sheen of big production nor could I give two shits for high fashion either in video or on stage. What I wanted was something raw, impassioned and personal. And Sebadoh had this in spades.

Not as lo-fi as previous albums, Bakesale garnered the band some mainstream attention, particularly on the back of singles Rebound, Skulls and Magnets Coil, all emotive slices of indie rock. Main man, Lou Barlow, seemed to be able to tap into the emotional bedrock of a generation of slackers with his self-deprecating lyrics. But the strength of this album doesn't belong to Barlow alone. Jason Lowenstein's contributions to the album are as equally strong and in tune with the times.

The follow up to this, Harmacy, which we reviewed here, continued in a similar vein, although it could never quite match up to the sheer emotional weight of Bakesale, at least not for me, anyway.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information go to http://www.sebadoh.com/

Paul Weller - Stanley Road

2010-12-21T00:01:00.060+11:00

YOURZ

For those readers astute enough to notice this is the second Paul Weller album we're reviewing, well there is a reason. Basically, we ran out of artists to review and decided we would pick five albums each from our collection that we would have liked to review. Stanley Road is the first of these.

Way back in January this year, when we reviewed Mr Weller's Wildwood, I said I thought I'd find it hard that he could make a better album than it but I was prepared to be wrong. Well, now is the time to admit it, I guess. This album, with tracks like The Changing Man (a big live favourite), Woodcutter's Son, Pink On White Walls and the title track, is a modern classic.

But it is elevated to something more with track four, You Do Something To Me. But I will let Mine wax about this track. It, and the rest of the album, is so damn good, in the hands of anyone lesser, this would have been the peak, and possibly the end, of a career. Thankfully, it only served to lift Paul to the status he now deserves.

Suffice to say...

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

This album is the only Paul Weller album you need if you're buying a solo Weller album. It contains You Do Something To Me which is one of my favourite songs of all time, one I can listen to over and over again. It's packed with great songs, and it's an album I'd be certain to replace if the collection ever went south.

But why is it so good? It's the Modfather at his very best, singing with those husky-yet-strong tones that reduce me to jelly. It's varied in mood, yet cohesive in tone. It's a damn good album, and one of those I'd ask you - why don't you own it? You won't regret it.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information go to: http://www.paulweller.com/

The Drones - Wait Long By The River...

2010-12-20T00:01:00.069+11:00

MINE

He does this all the time. He buys music, and then says "Oh, I bought this and it sounds good" and then I never hear about it again. Which is why we really needed this project. Because here we are, almost at the end of the task, and I'm still finding albums I swear I've never heard of tucked away in the drawers. Sheesh.

Anyway, this isn't bad. It's not really my kind of music, but I wouldn't object if it was on. It's the sort of bluesy rock that gives YourZ a thrill, so I can see why it's here. But I wouldn't grab the CD out of choice.

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

YOURZ

I forgot about this band. I seriously forgot.

I bought this CD after reading about it and seeing lead singer/songwriter Gareth Liddiard on RocKwiz. Wait Long By The River and the Bodies of Your Enemies Will Float By is uncompromising in its raw, passionate delivery, so much so its release in 2005 garnered the band best release at the inaugural Australian Music Prize that year.

But this isn't why I forgot about it.

I saw a snippet of the band doing this album in its entirety at the All Tomorrow's Party Festival in 2009 and the performance is pure, intense and massive. I was totally blown away by the band. The only comparison I have of this is seeing Nick Cave live at the Enmore many years ago. Again, it is uncompromising in its raw emotion. Watch a bit of here and you'll see what I mean.

But this isn't why I forgot about it.

You see, I bought the CD, got it home, copied onto the iPod and then put it away. With well over six and half thousand songs on it, I forgot about The Drones. Completely... Thankfully, Mine found it when doing the last scout through the collection to see if there was anything we missed.

This is the sounds of a band happy in the mire, where the rest of us flounder. This is a band comfortable putting everyone on edge, with stirring up the cobwebs and muck. This is band making brilliant uneasy listening music. It's not blues nor is it rock or punk. What it is, is unforgettable.

And I forgot about it. This won't happen again.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information go to http://thedrones.com.au/

The Crystal Method - Tweekend

2010-12-19T00:01:00.032+11:00

YOURZ

Yet another recommendation from that friend of mine who used to work in a local music shop. He knew I liked my rock so sold this to me under the pretence that Tom Morello from Rage Against The Machine had co-written a number of tracks. So I bought it.

In reality, this is more a big beat album than anything rock. Not that I mind. Tweekend, released in 2001, could have been made by any of the big beat bands in England at the time except it wasn't. Interesting though, The Crystal Method are a duo originally from Las Vegas but who transplanted themselves in LA, where they still reside.

Yes, there are some bits that kind of sound like Rage meets the Chemical Bros. (the best example being Name Of The Game), a lot of the album relies on the usual big beat sounds and tricks. And while it wouldn't be bad turned up loud in a club or at a party, it really is by the numbers and therefore not particularly interesting. Probably explains why I haven't played it for ages.

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

MINE

Yeah, it's OK. It's the sort of big-beat-ish stuff I like, but it's not clever enough for me to put it on for an intensive listen. It'd be fine to dance to at a party sometime, but then we have so much better big beat in our collection, I can't imagine why we'd want to.

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT

For more information go to http://www.thecrystalmethod.com/

The Reels - Reel To Reel

2010-12-18T00:01:00.079+11:00

MINE

We were lucky enough to see Reels frontman Dave Mason perform a lot of these songs at the Sydney Festival, when he did a gig with seminal Sydney electronica outfit Severed Heads. And it was divine.

These guys came from country New South Wales and delivered a bunch of quirky pop songs that found their way into my teenage heart. I actually own a Reels apron - not your conventional band merchandise, but released to coincide with their Kitchen Man tour. Dave Mason also used to sit on the steps of a Sydney courthouse selling flowers, in the year I went to university. I even bought some from him, now and then.

This best-of covers all of their career - from the early quirky originals to the later, quirky covers of songs like This Guy's In Love With You. But I especially love this collection of songs for what might just be the most beautiful song I've ever heard - Quasimodo's Dream. Take a moment. Listen to it. Don't you agree?

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

YOURZ

Damn, Mine beat to the punch. Again! But the night was so good it bears repetition, I think. Seeing The Reels live doing some of these songs earlier this year was such a wonderful treat. We saw them on a balmy, beautiful Sydney night in a partially outdoor venue set up for the Sydney Festival and set in the grounds of the Hyde Park Barracks in the city, all very conducive to what was a great night of music.

Years ago, I worked as an FM DJ and Quasimodo's Dream was a particular favourite of another couple of DJs, who would play it every show they did, to the point where it kind of ruined the song for me. So as a consequence, I hadn't heard it for many years. But it is no wonder it was voted one of the Top Ten Australian songs. And their take on numerous covers is really cool, a favourite being Jim Reeve's classic According To My Heart (which is one of my Dad's favourite songs) The video for it is hilarious. I also like their version of the Cold Chisel classic Forever Now, firmly claiming it as a hidden country gem. And the track features the gorgeous Amanda Brown, from The Go-Betweens.

There is two distinct versions of The Reels, in my mind. The first is the young band who did the great, quirky pop songs and the second is the synth-driven tracks of the latter years. Both are equally impressive but I do prefer the more organic earlier version. There are very few songs as uplifting as Love Will Find A Way. It's a beautiful thing.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information go to http://www.whiteroom.com.au/howlspace/en2/reels/reels.htm

Iggy Pop - A Million In Prizes: The Anthology

2010-12-17T00:01:00.078+11:00

YOURZ

This review is late. This is the first review of the entire year that wasn't ready to go on the dot at 12:01 AM. But I have a good excuse and I have to tell you all. Mine and YourZ truly went to see the Gorillaz last night. It was, in short, the best large venue live show I've ever seen. But enough of that, lets get to Mr Osterberg.

He is made of a better cut of the same material Keith Richards is made from. If the world went pear-shaped tomorrow, he would emerge from the rubble relatively unscathed and ready to rock. The word 'iconic' really doesn't cut it when it comes to Iggy. He is so much more. What he did on Countdown live on national television inspired a generation of punks. Mine has linked it so check it out.

As you would expect, this collection contains all the hits, including his turn at Cole Porter with Debbie Harry, Well Did You Evah. But the big surprise for me are some of the tracks I'd not heard before. Skull Rings, for instance, is an awesome rock song and Iggy sounds as fresh and full on as ever. About the only complaint I have about this selection is that it doesn't included Loco Mosquito or Dog Food, personal favourites. And his version of China Girl is different but better, no offence to Bowie, of course. Iggy Pop for Emperor of the World!

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

Legend. I remember going to see Henry Rollins in his spoken word tour one year, and he told a story about trying to outlast Iggy at some music festival in Scandinavia sometime. He said even after months of training, weightlifting, hard cardio, a strict diet, Iggy wiped the floor with him. "Nobody out-Iggs the Igg."

I've sen him live once, and he really is an amazing performer. I also remember him performing I'm Bored to a bemused teenage audience on Countdown - when was that? Late 70s, early 80s sometime. His version of Real Wild Child has been the theme song for the Aussie TV music show rage that's been on - forever. He's influenced so many people, so many bands - the man is, as I said, a legend. Rock Royalty. All hail Iggy.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information go to: http://www.iggypop.com/

Skyhooks - Living In The 70s/Ego Is Not A Dirty Word

2010-12-16T00:01:00.073+11:00

MINE

How do you describe Skyhooks? They're a band who were glam and rock, rude and crude, pop and schmaltz. And I love the fact that on my favourite album, Living in the 70s, six out of its ten songs were banned on commercial radio. In fact Skyhooks has the honour of being the first ever song played on the youth radio station Triple J - You Just Like Me 'Cause I'm Good In Bed.

Of course we all loved Skyhooks as teenagers - especially the rudest of the rude songs - Smut - which long before Peewee Herman became infamous for it, described the ins and, er, outs of pleasuring yourself at the movies. And I was absolutely gobsmacked to see there'd been a video made of that song back then! Ah, the internets - is there anything it can't give me?

Skyhooks also gave me a feel for Melbourne long before I spent any time there, with their namechecking of neighbourhoods in songs like Balwyn Calling, Toorak Cowboy and When the Sun Sets Over Carlton. This stood me in good stead when years later I spent time there - oddly enough frequenting The Club in Collingwood - owned by Bongo Starkey, the band's guitarist. It still has my vote as the best music venue I've ever been to - with sloping floors so even short people like me could see the bands.

So if you've never heard any Skyhooks songs, take a moment or two on YouTube and expore their weirdness. It's worth it.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

YOURZ

Skyhooks, the band parents hated but all the kids adored. There was a time, I remember, in the mid to late 70s when they could do no wrong, at least not according to their fans and the music-loving public at large. But more so, they were the first really popular Australian band to not only acknowledge their homeland but to write a unique set of songs not directed by overseas trends and fashions but instead following their own game plan.

For a band that wasn't really supposed to be successful, their record of being one of the biggest Australian bands of the time stands unblemished. They carved their own path out of the musical wilderness and isolation and showed many other Aussie bands that it was not only a good thing to do things your own way, but that in doing so, you could be successful as well.
Both these album, their debut Living In The 70s and the follow up, Ego Is Not A Dirty Word, still stand as being two of the most interesting and socially-aware albums of the time. But more so, it gave us local kids stars of our own, who recognised and understood what was going on locally and who had enough balls and showmanship to take the glam-boat and make it their own. And despite the general disparagement they received from commercial radio and moral watchdogs of the time, they stuck to their guns and gave a big 'up yours' to all their naysayers. They were punks in satin and makeup, daring the authorities to shut them down. And boy, did we need them back then.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information go to: http://www.skyhooks-music.com/

Grinderman

2010-12-15T00:01:00.091+11:00

YOURZ

This is not just dirty, this is absolutely filthy. It is dark, raw and impassioned and the grimiest thing Nick Cave has done since The Birthday Party. Recorded in just four days but compellingly well-produced by Nick Launay and the band, this ticks all the alternative blues boxes and then some.

Right from the opener, Get It On (not a cover of the old T-Rex hit either), there is no doubting the rabidly raw vision of this group, also comprising of some of Cave's Bad Seeds; Warren Ellis, Martin Casey and Jim Sclavunos. Cave's gothic-blues lyrics couldn't have found a more well-suited home while his voice has never sounded better and his delivery is of an energy and passion of a man at least half his age (not that us old blokes are passionless, mind).

More than anything else, it is the way Cave and company continue to push their creativity and themselves to extraordinary lengths (Nick eschews his first instrument, piano, for guitar, which he admits he plays rudimentarily at best). The rest of the band have said in various interviews it is this element, more than any other single thing, that informs the overall sound of Grinderman.

There are some tracks on this album that have goth-classic written all over them with Depth Charge Ethel, I Don't Need You (To Set Me Free), No Pussy Blues and Honey Bee (Let's Fly To Mars) being particular favourites of mine. I don't think I could ever hear enough of this. Grinderman 2, the followup, is now officially on my must-have list.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

When I first started listening to this CD I thought - he's done it! Nick Cave has found a band that will bring him to his vocal nadir! But actually, that's only the first track. The rest of it - wait for it - is not too bad. Especially song 2 - No Pussy Blues - which was hysterical.

So while I haven't changed my mind about Mr Cave's musical chops, I won't be putting this one in the rubbish bin - yet.

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

For more information go to http://www.grinderman.com/

Crowded House

2010-12-14T00:01:00.090+11:00

MINE

Everyone I knew had this album. Including me. In fact, we've broken a rule by buying it recently, as I do have it on vinyl. But it's so great to go back to this first album, that wavers between the familiar sounds of Split Enz and the broader, poppier strokes that would, in the end, make this band large on the world stage.

It's often puzzled me - what weas it that made Crowded house so much more successful than SplitEnz? Apart from ditching the costumes, the songs to some degree are still flavoured with a similar sound. But from this moment on, it seemed the younger Finn could do no wrong. In fact, they became so successful they were offered the ultimate accolade by Australian audiences - we claimed them as our own, despite the fact they were only two-thirds Aussie. (Or occasionally half Aussie when brother Tim joined in).

This album is still as beautiful to me today as it was the first time I dropped the needle on to the vinyl, and I defy anyone to hate it.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

YOURZ

Where do you start with such a band as Crowded House? Maybe I should start by saying while I appreciate the song writing and the musicianship, I've never been a big fan of the band. Simply, they were too pop for my liking and probably a bit too nice as well. At the time this, their debut, was released, I was more interested in dirty, sweaty rock. But listening now, it is hard not to be caught up in the infectiousness of these ten great songs.

While the singles Don't Dream It's Over, Something So Strong, World Where You Live and Now We're Getting Somewhere have become classics in their own right, it is the less popular album tracks like Love You 'Til The Day I Die and Can't Carry On, which appeal to me. These are a bit darker and closer in sound to Neil Finn and Paul Hester's previous band, the mighty Split Enz. And while it still isn't enough for me to call myself a fan, I do have a better appreciation of the band now and certainly won't turn up my nose like I used to do.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information go to http://www.crowdedhouse.com/

Black Sabbath - Paranoid

2010-12-13T00:01:00.042+11:00

YOURZ

Heh, this was the shit when I was a lad. So bad, in fact, I dared not speak the band's name around my conservative Catholic mother. Status Quo was fine, AC/DC were okay and even KISS got past her. But I had to rely on friends copies this classic in order to hear it.

I remember sitting on the front steps of my mate Mick's place after a long summer afternoon, sharing a sneaky cigarette and listening to music on his Dad's quadraphonic system. This was one of the LPs we'd listen to then and listening now takes me right back there.

I love that this record still makes me headbang even though I hardly have the long locks of youth to flay around like I used to do. It is, without a doubt, my favourite type of metal. And while there have been so many great bands after them and despite Ozzy parading his tragic family in front of television cameras for the world to see, there will only ever be one Black Sabbath.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

So, when I was about 15 or so, there was a group of girls I went to school with and we used to get together every couple of weeks to smoke weed. We'd meet up at Bernie's place, more often than not, because she used to hold for us (plus we were buying the stuff off her brother) and we'd smoke and eat (her mother was the most amazing baker of pies) and play records. Mostly her brother's records. So there was Dark Side of the Moon and Kiss and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.

Then many years later there was a TV show called The Osbournes which both delighted and horrified me. And now there's re-listening to Paranoid, which made me realise, he had an amazing voice, didn't he? But apart from War Pigs (nearly eight minutes, that takes balls for an opening number) and Paranoid, I don't really know this album at all. And it's not really my kind of thing. But we need this in out collection. Gives us gravitas, I think.

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

For more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sabbath but there's a bunch of fan sites, too

Tame Impala - Innerspeaker

2010-12-12T00:01:00.073+11:00

MINE

I wanted to like it, really I did. This was picked as an Album of the Year for Aussie Youth Radio network Triple J, and I like to think I've got a bit of an insight into what those young people are on about. No, seriously. Stop snickering, you.

But all I could think while listening to this was - Beatles Rubber Soul and Revolver, but without the variety the Fab Four managed on those albums. Amped up a bit with some beats here and there, but essentially a bit hippy-trippy. Which is alright for a song or two, but a whole album? Nice dinner-party music, but that's about it.

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

YOURZ

Yet more proof that there is something in those isolated waters of Western Australia that keeps producing some of the best music in Australia.

Citing a laundry list of influences, including Beck, Kyuss, Massive Attack, RZA and The Beatles (boy, are they covering all bases or what), Tame Impala are anything but locked into a single style. Yet the cohesiveness of Innerspeaker, their debut album, is surprisingly strong, thanks to the overall production aesthetic While it is definitely psychedelic, it also reminds me of some of the shoegazer bands around the late 80s and early 90s.

Listening to Lucidity, for instance, took me back to house parties, where most of us were floating from a cocktail of various fixings. And the music, like Innerspeaker is to a new generation, was not just background but an integral part of the journey. Maybe the fact I'm relatively straight and sober these days dulled my appreciation slightly but not by much.

There are treats of sharp, effected pop gems like Solitude Is Bliss and I Don't Really Mind as well as surprises like the sludgy psych-rock of The Bold Arrow Of Time. And while I think the band could have done better with a name, I expect it will be one I'll be hearing of for some time to come.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information go to http://www.tameimpala.com/

Lost Prophets - The Betrayed

2010-12-11T00:01:00.060+11:00

YOURZ

This is another recent purchase I took a chance on recently. The only thing I knew about this band was that they were from the same town in Wales of Sir Tom Jones, being the wonderfully Welsh-named Pontypridd. And this is about all Lostprophets and Sir Tom have in common. Musically, this five piece might have punk rock roots but their sound is from the same school as bands like Rage Against The Machine and Linkin Park.

But some of the song titles reveal a touch of the emo-branding as well. Mine mentions one such below and the other long-winded titles (If It Wasn't For Hate We'd Be Dead By Now, for instance) don't do them any favours. Thankfully, the driving distortion and sharp melodies actually work well, in that MTV rock kind of way.

But when I compare it to favoured bands like Karnivool and Mastodon, unfortunately the Lostprophets wind up way down the list. Maybe I need to be an angst-ridden post-teen to really get this. But I'm neither and while I don't mind it, I'm not rushing out to buy anything else by them.

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

MINE

Well, this wasn't just disappointing - it was downright infuriating. These guys can't seem to figure out what sort of music they're playing, going from almost Rage Against the Machine-type songs, through downright U2 ripoffs, one number that sounded a bit like the Killers and another couple that said "Gee, 80's-sounding music is getting popular, maybe we'd better do that?"

Don't get me started on the lyrics. Banal isn't among it. I mean seriously, It's Not the End of the World, But I Can See it From Here?

Resolutely mediocre.

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT

For more information go to http://www.lostprophets.com/

The KLF - The White Room

2010-12-10T00:01:00.045+11:00

MINE

Quite apart from the fact that this is top-notch dance music, I have a link to this band that goes way, way back - to my teenage years. You see, when I was young my then-boyfriend (hi, Richard!) introduced me to the Illuminatus! trilogy, a work of cosmic conspiracy so far-reaching, it makes the Da Vinci Code look even more banal and trite than you thought.

By the way, I have to note: although I did read the Code, because I had to know what all the fuss was about (but was no wiser at the end of it), Dan Brown's followup Angels and Demons has the honour of being the only book I've ever actually thrown across the room in disgust mid-read. How he is so popular I have no idea, the man cannot write!

So anyway, when I heard that these two guys were calling themselves the KLF I was delighted. You see, this is the name of a secret society in the Illuminatus! books. They also call themselves the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, also referenced in the books, and use the John Dillinger phrase "Everybody lie down on the floor and keep calm". Dillinger is a key character in the books.

I also love the KLF for deleting their back catalogue and using the profits from their music to rock the art world by burning one million British pounds. In cash. At an event they invited the media to watch. These guys have rocked my world in so many ways and this album is them at their best.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

YOURZ

See, there is the word, right at the start of Mine's review above. Dance. It really says it all for me. While I have a lot of respect for the attitude of The KLF, they were, first and foremost, a band. And its the music I have to listen to and make a call on.

I don't like it. Never have and, I'm sure, never will. I've had this discussion before. It really doesn't matter how smart or whatever. It simply doesn't appeal to me.

The Illuminatus! books, however, sound seriously interesting.

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT

For more information go to http://www.klf.de/

The Jim Jones Revue - Burning Your House Down

2010-12-09T00:01:00.062+11:00

YOURZ

This is turn your stereo up, windows right down, driving down the highway towards a bloodshot sunset music. The night is in front of you, another shitty day is behind you and the only thing you can think about is getting yourself as far away from everything as possible. But you'd settle for, at the very least, something cold, strong and easy to drink.

The Jim Jones Revue aren't doing anything that hasn't been done before, but who gives a fuck. This is rock and roll in the tradition of Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard through to Jon Spencer and every other greaser rock'n'roller in-between. It is raucous, hot, sweaty and completely and utterly infectious.

I dare anyone listening to High Horse, for instance, to not want to kick back their chair, jump on the table and dance til you puke. (Okay, maybe a bit over-the-top but then, so is this music). Even if you've lost your youthful vim and vigour (and, please, let's not forget flexibility) you'd be thinking about doing it. The only complaint I have about this album is that it seems over before I had even remotely enough.

So, Mine, they're coming to Australia early next year. Waddaya think? It would be loud, messy and we'd have a ball, I'm sure.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP, all the way up!

MINE

It was a little shouty in parts for me but mostly this is, as YourZ says, pants-down, gritty, bluesy rock (and furthermore roll). I did find it a little difficult to listen to in a whole lump - but that's because this is party music. I should be wrestling my way through the crush of bodies to find a drink while having a yelled conversation with someone I haven't seen for months over the too-loud music - and probably knocking over something valuable in the process.

It's not new. It's not clever. It's not remotely nice. But it is a whole lotta fun.

VERDICT:TURN IT UP

For more information go to http://www.jimjonesrevue.com/website/home

Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest

2010-12-08T00:01:00.075+11:00

MINE

Boring. Largely unintelligible. The lead singer had a whiny voice. Some of the songs had a repetitive loop-style sound that's akin to Chinese water torture. I have mentioned I'm sensitive to sounds?

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT

YOURZ

Yeah, I brought this on a whim. I used to do this a lot, back in the days of vinyl. I'd skim through the new releases, check the covers out and if something on it caught my eye, I'd take a chance and buy it. But sometimes, forewarned is forearmed, so I would also scour the pages of my favourite music mags and ensure I was, at least, partially armed.

If I'd taken the time and read up about Deerhunter, I would probably have pretty much ignored it as another is the swag of post-rock (or post-hardcore or whatever the fuck it supposed to mean). And when I got it home and listened to the first track, Earthquake, I wondered if I'd made a mistake. This is an opening track that should have been buried at the back of the album somewhere.

Thankfully, the next few tracks redeemed them, particularly the Pixie-ish Revival. I particularly liked the use of banjo in this track. This is followed by my favourite track of the album, Sailing. The starkly simply guitar and ambient sounds behind it perfectly set off the beautiful vocal line. What a gorgeous track.

The album yields a a few more surprises, like the ambient-fuelled Helicopter and Coronado, a retro-sounding throwback. And given this all came about because of whimsy, of wanting to relive those good old days, when vinyl was cheap and plentiful. Thankfully, the experience was a good one as this turned out to be a chance well-taken.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For further information go www.myspace.com/deerhunter

The Vines - Highly Evolved

2010-12-07T00:01:00.084+11:00

YOURZ

Craig Nicholls and his band mates in The Vines do the sneery, angst-ridden rock thing really well. Of course, the best of this is Get Free but the title track, Aint No Room, In The Jungle and Outtathaway all possess the same snot-nosed attitude. I like it a lot.

But Highly Evolved is an album of diversity too. There are massive ballads like Country Yard and Autumn Shade. It is almost as though there are a number of bands playing. I was particularly impressed by the psychedelia of Sunshinin and 1969 as well as the playful, infectiousness of Factory.

But to be honest, I find this diversity kind of distracting. I found myself skipping back and forth between the tracks, trying to balance out they styles a bit better. Maybe it is as simple as the sequence of the songs but Highly Evolved seems to be a bit all over the place. It obviously worked for them, though, because this album did really well both here and overseas.

Not a Forgotten Gem, but certainly not bad.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

There was so much hype about this band when this came out, and I was thrilled to see an Aussie band get all that attention. And then, when it all emerged about lead singer Craig Nicholls having Aspergers Syndrome, I had some sympathy for him - and his band-mates. You see, I believe my mother has AS, and I'm definitely on the autistic spectrum somewhere - I'm a speed-reader and often take people too literally. I'm also very sensitive to noise and smells. But I do like to feel I have empathy, unlike many people with the syndrome.

So I hadn't listened to Highly Evolved much and I can see why. It's another of those "musicians" albums that YourZ is so fond of. It's technically perfect - if at times a little derivative, but then these days what isn't - but it lacks heart. Soul. Ooomph. I don't know what to call it, but I can tell you this doesn't have it. It's well done, and it doesn't make me wince, I didn't get bored listening to it. But it just doesn't do it for me. It's all in the head, and there's nothing for the guts or the groin.

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

For more information go to http://thevines.com/

Squeeze - 45's And Under

2010-12-06T00:01:00.076+11:00

MINE

Hey, there's a song on here I never listen to! It's called If I Didn't Love You and it's not very good. As opposed to the rest of this album, which is not just good, it's essential listening. I'm sorry, are you one of those people who think Squeeze only did Cool For Cats? Shame on you!

I was trying to decide which song's my favourite, and I'm kind of surprised to find that it's Up the Junction. Not that Tempted isn't great, it's so well written I'm sure it makes songwriters cry, but it's the lyrics that get me in Junction. You see the song follows this relationship from go to whoa, from first kiss through cohabitation, childbirth and divorce. Often skipping months or years in a single line.

And there's so much more on here that's wonderful. Is That Love, Goodbye Girl, Black Coffee In Bed... this is one of my favourite albums ever.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

YOURZ

I remember seeing Glenn Tilbrook on RockKwiz in the not too distant past, doing my favourite Squeeze song, Tempted. He absolutely killed it, as did the house band. It was blisteringly brilliant and I often go back and watch it again, as I did for this review. Tilbrook doesn't just have a killer voice but has his guitar chops too. Check it out for yourselves here and see if I'm wrong.

But to be honest, I wasn't much of a Squeeze fan back in the day. I liked Cool For Cats and had it on one of those vinyl collections back in the day. And I remember Up The Junction being played on radio. But beyond these three tracks, I hadn't listened to any Squeeze or at least not that I can remember anyway.

But there are some really great tracks on this collection. I have to thank Mine for introducing me to them. I even liked the song she didn't even though I'll admit stacked up against some of the other gems in this collection is a bit unfair. But only a bit. Top stuff!

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information go to http://www.squeezeofficial.com/

Nada Surf - High/Low

2010-12-05T00:01:00.084+11:00

YOURZ

Released right in the middle of the 90s, it always seemed to me that Nada Surf provided the link between the sounds of grunge, the nerd-rock of bands like Weezer and the smart art-rock of Sonic Youth and others. This despite their first single being a huge anthem to the downside of being the coolest kid at school with Popular.

Unfortunately, while High/Low has travelled the years very well and more recently has achieved recognition as a defining piece of music, this was a long time coming. It didn't help that the band, full of promise, were completely hobbled by a relentless record company, Elektra, looking for a follow-up hit. When the band presented their second album, the record company basically turned their back on them, letting the album languish until they eventually dropped the band.

While the centre-piece of High/Low is undoubtedly the single, it is so different to the rest of the album, the way it sticks out from the rest of the album is a bit like a sore thumb (I imagine the band probably feel the same way about the song too). While there is not a dud track here, I particularly like Treehouse, The Plan, Sleep and the closer, Zen Brain. Definitely a Forgotten Gem for me, so...

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

Of course I remembered Popular but I hadn't heard any of the rest of the album before, and I was pleasantly surprised. Good fun, well put together, nice hooks - a shame the "long dark corridor" of the recording industry didn't treat them better.

But it got me thinking - wouldn't this be a great Glee episode? They could do all those school-type songs. How about adding in Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus and of course Smells Like Teen Spirit? Then I guess we'd have to have Rock and Roll High School and Beck's Loser. An episode about high school songs: an instant classic.

Anyway, I loved High/Low and I wasn't expecting to. Yay!

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information go to http://www.nadasurf.com/

OK Go - OK Go

2010-12-04T00:01:00.115+11:00

MINE

So long before this band became famous for this video clip, YourZ and I were sitting at home with another friend (hi, Dave!) and listening to a freebie compilation given away by Q Magazine. A rock collection, if memory serves me. And while most of the rest of it was unremarkable, one song made us sit up and listen. (This video isn't quite the version we heard, but it'll do.) So we played it again, and then again. And I believe later in the night we played it once more!

And then for quite a while I searched for the album it came from, believing it would be filled with similar gems. And when I found it, I was a little disappointed. But re-listening to that album now, I see I've dismissed the other songs too readily, because they're also great. Sardonic, and at times weirdly reminiscent of The Cure, for some reason. I love You're So Damn Hot and Don't Ask Me, but really they're all good. So I can't call it a Forgotten Gem - but maybe it's a Rediscovered Gem? Pop-rock heaven, anyway.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

YOURZ

I was pleased to finally land on OK Go so I could write about our collection of great CDs we've got for free from various music magazines. As Mine says, we picked this track up from one such CD and I do believe we played the song possibly even more times. I have a distinct memory of our friend requesting the song many times over the night. And I think he laughed and sang along loudly each time.

I was sold on this band the first time I heard What To Do. There was no way who ever wrote that song was going to write a one hit wonder. I'd seen the album around when it was first released but didn't take much notice of it. But I'm so pleased we sought this great band out. This, their debut, is full of smart, wry pop rock gems (yeah, try saying that five times quick).

Again, as Mine says, they're more known for their clever videos. Their domination of YouTube changed the landscape of the music industry. And it won them a Grammy too. Thankfully, they have continued to write the same smart music while making some fantastically inventive videos over the last few years (I reckon you could probably tell a lot about a person by what OK Go video they liked the most).

I listened to the CD twice through but was still wanting to hear more after the second listen. And frankly, I'm a little surprised we haven't added anything more of theirs to our collection. Guess these are going to be another addition to that list, Mine.

VERDICT:

For more information go to http://www.okgo.net/

Mazzy Star - So Tonight That I Might See

2010-12-03T00:01:00.113+11:00

MINE

I was really pleased the other morning that it was raining while I made my way to work, listening to Mazzy Star. Not because I like the rain - dammit this is supposed to be summer - but because it reminded me of when I like to listen to music like this. Which is curled up on the sofa with a good book, the rain coming down outside and me snug and warm inside.

It also made me think about my niece, who's recently left home, and is the first of the young 'uns to leave the nest. She's all about the horses and a lot of her musical tastes run to the country. So I thought to myself, YourZ and I ought to get together an alt-country playlist for her. There's a bunch of stuff we've reviewed this year that fits nicely into that genre, including this band, Cowboy Junkies, Love Me, M Ward, Nations By the River... we could have fun!

Anyway, there's a bunch of things Hope Sandoval's voice got me thinking about - and that's another reason I love Mazzy Star. It lets your mind wander in the best of ways. Love it.

VERDICT:TURN IT UP

YOURZ

I don't think I ever noticed how much parts of this CD remind me of The Doors. In a good way, too. This album, while best known for the hit single, Fade Into You, has a creeping, bluesy quality in parts where vocalist Hope Sandoval sounds like a female reincarnation of the Lizard King himself. But then she does this whole whisper singing thing as well and sounds more like a country chanteuse, full of bitter passion.

It also sounds positively art cinema, so much so I'm waiting for someone like Jim Jarmusch to make a film using this as the soundtrack. There's the dirty, almost falling apart blues of Wasted, the languid groove of She's My Baby, a folky, violin-fuelled spareness called Into Dust and, of course, the wasted elegance of Fade..., with that irresistible, velvet slide guitar line. It is a thing of beauty.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information go to http://www.myspace.com/mazzystar68

The Kills - Midnight Boom

2010-12-02T00:01:00.081+11:00

YOURZ

There is so much to admire about this band, the least being it is rich in garage, punk and art rock references. Alison Mosshart (whose role in The Dead Weather has already been discussed here) and Jamie Hince take the two piece lo-fi aesthetic, add drum machines, bleeps, distorted guitar and thumping bass lines to create gems of gutter rock.

Living on opposite sides of the Atlantic (Mosshart in Florida and Hince in London) originally, the pair mailed each other tapes of tracks before Mosshart made the move the the Old Blighty and The Kills were born.

Three albums later, with the release of Midnight Boom, they remain true to their original template. Every track on this is treat, but particularly Sour Cherry, U.R.A Fever, Last Day Of Magic and Cheap And Cheerful. And the exciting news I gained from researching for this review is their next album is due out very soon. I hope this means a tour next year cause I'd love to see 'em live too.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

Well, it started out OK. And most of it was fine, but my early hopes for a full-length masterpiece got smashed midway through when the Kills resorted to distored guitars and a bunch of feedback. I mean, really. Any indie rock band anywhere. And there was such promise, especially on song 2, Cheap and Cheerful, which was distinctly hummable.

I loved it when they did the stripped-back sound I was hoping for from a two-piece act. I hated it when they were predictable. So pretty much a 50-50 deal, and that's not enough to win me over.

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

For more information go to http://www.thekills.tv/

In our collection we also have Keep On Your Mean Side

Joe Jackson - This Is It

2010-12-01T00:01:00.075+11:00

MINE

Where do I start? I've been a fan since Look Sharp, so for many years. And I've seen him perform a few times too, so excuse me if I just wrap up all the experiences into a little abll and throw them at you.

So one time Sheldon, Ruth, Deb and myself (hi guys!) were going to see the man at Sydney's Entertainment Centre. I had been responsible for the ticket purchase, and had secured what I though were great seats. We assembled in someone's car before the gig to partake of (ahem) what I believe the youngsters of the day would call a doobie.

Some time later we realised we'd missed the support act and would have to get our skates on. So we stumbled into the venue and I confidently led everyone to what I thought were our seats. Despite a feeling of unease (on the side of the stage? Really?) we got comfortable. And then an usher came along with another group of people and pointed out we were approximately 90 degrees away from where our actual seats were, facing the stage and a lot closer to the action. We sat down just as he walked out. Whew! And I really can't remember if it was that concert or one of his others that I saw Mr Jackson's angry side. At one time he stopped playing because the audience wasn't clapping in time (!) and at another he was using a piece of equipment to play recorded loops. It malfunctioned. He destroyed it onstage. You coulda heard a pin drop.

But despite being Captain Grumpy, I love this man's work. Different for Girls, Real Men, Is She Really Going Out With Him? They're all here, they're all great, so just...

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

YOURZ

One of the things writing this blog had us wishing for was a turntable as we still have quite a few pieces of vinyl. So Mine found a second hand one (a really good one too) and we found a space for it. But because we own a modern amplifier, we discovered we needed a phono preamp of some sort. Let me tell you this straight up - if you're thinking of doing the same thing, don't, under any circumstances, buy a cheap preamp. We learnt the hard way. So despite having a turntable, we are unable to use it until we find a better preamp so we can run it through our system.

What does all this have to do with Joe Jackson? Well, I would have liked to have said that listening to This Is It made me go and get Look Sharp out of the vinyl collection and play it as I hadn't heard it in years. The cover of said album informed my sartorial tastes for a number of years to come (not that I wore white winkle-pickers). This album, along with a few others, were the albums that chased me over the years, constantly grounding me with brilliant song writing. Joe might have a reputation for being a curmudgeon but he writes such truly great songs, it is easy to forgive his temperament.

This Is It is a retrospective of the ten years Jackson spent with A&M Records (1979 to 1989) and includes some of the best tracks from this period. While I love the hits, it is the lesser known tracks like Beat Crazy, Steppin' Out and Don't Wanna Be Like That that make me happy we have this collection. And the live version of Got The Time is almost worth the price of the disc. Anthrax were never any competition...

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.joejackson.com/

Free CDs - November Throwouts

2010-11-30T12:01:00.048+11:00

Free to a good home this month:

Muse: Origin of Symmetry
Lo Fidelity Allstars - Don't Be Afraid of Love

Still going begging from previous months:

28 Days - Upstyledown
Jenny Morris - Shiver
Groove Terminator - Roadkill
Mark Gillespie - Flame
Badly Drawn Boy - The Hour of Bewilderbeast
Chris Cornell - Carry On
Frenzal Rhomb - Meet The Family
Portastatic - I Hope Your Heart Is Not Brittle
Goodshirt - Good
Natalie Merchant - Tigerlily
Shamen - Boss Drum
Nikka Costa - Pebble to a Pearl
Enigma - MCMXC AD
Brassy - Got It Made
A Gun Called Tension - A Gun Called Tension
P-Money - Magic City
New Radicals - Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too
Gyroscope - Breed Obsession
Queen - Greatest Hits II, Greatest Hits III, Made in Heaven (we're keeping the others)
Come - Near Life Experience, Eleven : Eleven and Don't Ask, Don't Tell
Sugar Ray - Floored

These CDs are available free to anyone who wants them. We even pay for postage - so if you'd like to see an Australian stamp just e-mail us at yourzenmine at gmail dot com.

November Wrapup

2010-11-30T12:01:00.040+11:00

YOURZ

November has been a heck of a month for us, here at YourZenMine headquarters, both good and bad. But life is like that and we're both aware that we have to take the ups with the downs but after everything, be thankful for the life we have.

One of the things bugging me this month has been my struggle with trying to keep this blog fresh and interesting. While I have enjoyed taking on this challenge so much, I'm concerned I'm becoming a bit stale and boring. I love writing every day, but as we are getting down to the last month and to the last remnants of our CD collection, it sometimes feels like a bit of chore.

We're also a bit concerned we might run out of music and have been discussing options of what we might do to fill in the small gap. So far, the best idea is we review some of our favourite albums, ones that the pointy stick never landed on, much to our chagrin.

We've had various meetings regarding these issues among ourselves and our consultants at YZM HQ and the advice we've been given is to listen diligently, encourage the minions slaving away in the tunnels of our minds, spin up the FTL drives and prepare to launch into our final month. We hope it's one to remember.

MINE

Dragging myself from my sickbed this month has indeed made the blogging a bit more of a chore and a bit less of a pleasure. Seriously folks, I haven't been this sick for a long, long time - and while it's only bronchitis, it's made me realise how much I've enjoyed rugged good health for all the rest of the year.

So I'll keep this short and say I'm thinking now I'm looking forward to having a break after next month. Didn't think I'd be saying that when we started!

This month we'll be giving away a CD to a relatively new reader/commenter - NurseMyra. If you haven't read her blog, go over there now. It's an ever-expanding eclectic treat of amazing facts about people you've probably never heard of. Frankly, I don't know where she finds the time! We'll be passing her a copy of what was certainly my favourite album of the Month - Martin Craft's Silver and Fire, and I hope she finds it as amazing as we do.

The Rebirth Of Cool Series

2010-11-30T00:01:00.002+11:00

MINE

This collection remains so good, it's one I have no problem dragging out again and again. But it's difficult to say exactly what it is. Acid jazz? Ambient? Trip-hop? All of these and more.

The rendition of My Favourite Things (yes, from The Sound of Music) by Ronny Jordan was for many years the theme music to a show I did on community radio. That's on Volume Three - which I had to re-buy after leaving it in the radio studio one time and having it walk away. And because of that, I saw Ronny Jordan perform in a small Sydney venue - one of the best jazz guitar performances I've ever seen.

I bought the first album in this collection because it was in the Staff Recommended section of a small music shop I frequented. And then the rest followed because I couldn't imagine not buying them, the first was so good. My personal favourite is Phive, but any and all of them are top-notch.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

YOURZ

The Rebirth Of Cool series is one Mine introduced into our collection when we got married. And while I'd heard of it and certainly heard tracks from many of the artists, this compilation series was never really on my radar.

But I'm so glad Mine, in all her infinite wisdom, which I do mean sincerely, had the good taste to purchase the collection because of all the compilations we have (and aside from our perennial favourite, Dusted, and some of the wonderful freebies we've scored from magazines like Mojo and Q over the years) this is by far the best. But which of the five is top of the list starts fights in our house (okay, it doesn't start fights and if it did, well, I'm a wimp and Mine would probably win all the time).

I really like the first one. But this is not taking anything away from any of the collections, although I will say this for the compilers: they cast their nets wide for some of these tracks. But therein is the secret to a good compilation, I believe. A good compilation has the ability to draw the punter in with a few recognisable names but include damn fine tracks by bands most of us have never heard of and probably will never hear of again.

So, while I could mention names you, dear readers, would recognise, the bombastic part of me wants to name bands you won't know. Thankfully, I like to think I'm beyond such pretension... Or maybe saying I'm not means I am...

Erm...

Regardless, there is so much ground to cover if I start naming names, this might well turn into the longest piece I've done for this blog. But instead, I'll leave it to you to find out for yourselves. Believe me, it's worth the trouble.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

Death From Above 1979 - You're A Woman, I'm A Machine

2010-11-29T00:01:00.052+11:00

YOURZ

Oh, this record is going to make Mine gag. But I love it. It is dirty, noisy punk rock belted out by this Canadian two-piece, who have eschewed guitars in favour of fat, distorted and effected bass and pounding drums. Unfortunately, the band imploded in a fit of spit and bad tempers sometime after releasing You're A Woman, I'm A Machine, their one and only long player.

While I note some similarities to favourites, Queens Of The Stoneage, who are masters of this dirty, fat rock, DFA1979 add their own twist to the formula by building great dance-punk grooves often accompanied by raging, distorted vocals. On this album, their attack is relentless, with most tracks clocking in under the 3:00 minute mark and only serves to leave me wanting to more.

As a side note, I have to thank my good friend Chris, who passed away recently, for putting me on to this band. Vale, my faraway friend. You'll be missed.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

Oh these guys. YourZ has the t-shirt. And while I kind of liked the first two songs - especially Romantic Rights - it all got a bit same-y for me after a while. But at least the songs were short!

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

For more information go to http://www.deathfromabove1979.com/

Richard Clapton - Best Years Of Our Lives

2010-11-28T00:01:00.084+11:00

MINE

Another Aussie name that's indelibly etched on my teenage years, Richard Clapton (or Dick Clap as the less-mature of my friends would have it) is probably our answer to the wave of West Coast sound that washed over us in the late 70s.

It gave us the feeling we could compete on that stage - with the same lazy-sounding but effortlessly-executed riffs, and lyrics that told us of our East Coast mentality, name-checking Sydney's Palm Beach Road, Bondi Lifesaver and Oxford Street - along with the Tropic of Capricorn, which slices through the top third of our wide brown land. You see, we share the same Pacific Ocean as the US - just seen from a few thousand miles in the other direction. We had the same surf culture and the music - and for the first time I think we were starting to understand that despite our British roots, the colonials Down Under had a lot more in common with California than Cornwall.

Richard Clapton's notoriously shy, hiding behind those dark shades in every public appearance, but he's a well-deserved Hall of Famer in the Australian music scene. And he has a warm, rich voice, that hasn't faded a bit, 40 years down the track. I'd go and see him perform tomorrow, if I could.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP down in the lucky country

YOURZ

First of all, another big confession: I am not an Eric Clapton fan. Cream was cool but Clapton's solo work has never done impressed me. Oh, sure, I acknowledge his ability as a guitarist is without doubt but I find most of his songs to be fairly boring, with notable exceptions, of course.

But Australia has its own Clapton, an artist I much prefer and a man responsible for writing some of our finest songs, including Capricorn Dancer, Deep Water, Lucky Country, I Am An Island and Girls On The Avenue. Allegedly taking his stage name by combining names of his two favourite artists, Keith Richards and Eric Clapton, his reputation is well deserved.

While growing up in the 70s in the same hometown as Clapton (this being Sydney), his face and music were one of the regular, few Australian constants in a market place saturated with overseas acts. And while the boy I was then had little appreciation for his songwriting skills, as I've aged, so have my tastes. The songwriter in me knows brilliance when he hears it. And age hasn't diminished Clapton's abilities either. A recent live performance on a local television show only confirms this as he is still as vibrant and dynamic a writer and performer as he ever was.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For further information go to http://www.richardclapton.com

U2 - War

2010-11-27T00:01:00.080+11:00

YOURZ

Oh the irony.

A young man, starting to make his way in the world and longing for adventure, joins the Australian Airforce. His first posting is to a supply depot on the outskirts of Melbourne, Australia. Living there, in the very early 80's, he befriended a similarly-young man who had travelled from the other side of the world to join the same Airforce. The Aussie and the Pommie shared many interests, mostly revolving around music.

The Pommie opened up a previously unknown world of music to The Aussie, whose musical palate was mostly served by Australian and a few big name British and American bands. The Pommie regaled him with stories of truly great new (at the time) bands from the UK, as well as live gigs he'd attended. The Aussie was intensely envious of the experiences his friend shared. But he never let on. The Pommie introduced The Aussie to music he still loves and listens to regularly. The Pommie has no idea how much he shaped The Aussie's music-listening future.

Recently, The Aussie saw a great documentary called It Might Get Loud, which features three generations of rock guitarists: Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White. While watching this, he is reminded of the power of such tracks as Sunday Bloody Sunday, New Year's Day and Two Hearts Beat As One. The Aussie wishes, again, he knew where The Pommie was now as he can't thank him enough for opening his eyes to a wonderful world full of music.

As the Aussie now sits here listening to War, he remembers U2 as one of the bands The Pommie introduced him to back then and wonders if The Pommie was aware of the irony at the time. Because The Aussie, naive young man that he was, failed to see it. He realises it now, though.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

So, this has been a bit of a tough week for me. You see, I've had bronchitis. The really hacking cough, the wheeze, the croaky voice, sore throat - it goes on and on. But funnily enough, it's reminded me of the time I saw U2 - sometime in the early 80s, in Sydney. At the venerable (now) Entertainment Centre, which at the time was shiny and new.

My soon-to-be husband (the first one!) had bought us tickets, but then the Army sent him on some training course or other, so I took my friend Elaine. The band was playing a massive amount of gigs - I think five or six in Sydney alone - and we made our way up to the nosebleed seats. Only to discover Bono had overextended himself just a bit, and had lost his voice. The crowd kind of made up for it by singing all the songs, but I have to admit I felt just a bit cheated. However, I hadn't paid for the tickets so really I had nothing to complain about.

I haven't bought a single U2 album - again it's been the men in my life who have - but I do have a white 12-inch single version of Pride (In the Name of Love). Which I'll have to get out and spin pretty soon. But mostly I just admire these guys. They've been in a band all their lives, and they keep on making it work. That's harder than you might think.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP nothing changes...

For more information go to http://www.u2.com/

Roxy Music - The Best Of Roxy Music

2010-11-26T00:01:00.074+11:00

MINE

I got introduced to Roxy Music thanks to a young couple I babysat for when I was about 14. While I used to mostly watch TV, eat and hope that neither of their two young sons would wake up, I also used to rifle through their record collection. And they must have been pretty hip, because I became enraptured by the creepily-posed Jerry Hall on the front of Siren. So I played it, and was hooked.

I've been around a lot of this music most of my life, but I seem to recall this hazs been because my partners own the albums - not me. Although I never bought any of either the band's albums or Bryan Ferry's solo work, this compilation was a no-brainer purchase for us. But it does mean we need another best-of - Ferry solo.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

YOURZ

Roxy Music existed as a new wave band before the term was even coined. Or maybe they are the link between glam and new wave. Either way, they're the sort of band who people or love or hate. There really is no middle ground.

There is probably a lot that could be said about Brian's Ferry and Eno (I didn't think there were enough Brian's in the world for two to end up in the same band together). But I'm not going to bore readers with too much. Suffice to say, this pairing, along with the rest of the members of the band, produced some of the most innovative music of their time, inspiring slavish adoration from fans and absolute derision from just about everyone else.

As you would expect, this collection covers everything from their early days through to the heady days of their most successful release, Avalon, the album that probably inspired more new wave artists than just about any other. It certainly inspired a lot of the fashion, although Ferry was one of the few who could pull off the satorially elegant look without looking like either a dandy or a right pratt.

I don't really have a favourite Roxy Music period, although I can remember staring at the front cover of Country Life a lot - it inspired a lot of, erm shall we say, teenage boy fevers... Lets leave it at that, okay? While there are so many fine tracks on this album, I particularly love Virginia Plain, Love Is The Drug (I know no other song that uses the word t'aint), Street Life and Re-Make/Re-Model. And their cover of Jealous Guy is almost as good as Lennon's. Note I did say almost...

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.roxymusic.co.uk/

Testeagles - Non Comprehendus

2010-11-25T00:01:00.065+11:00

YOURZ

This album has been a favourite of YourZ (truly) since it first came out. I remember seeing Testeagles some time before Non-Comprehendus, their only full length album to date, was released in 2000. They impressed the hell outta me with a sweat-drenched performance that was part rock and part hip hop. Although there were a number of bands around combining the two, I hadn't seen any live. Their show was the first I remember that combined both traditional instrumentation and samples, backing tracks and bits of electronica so effectively. Of course, now this is de rigueur for many bands.

This debut featured a number of singles, namely Turn That Shit Up, Underdog and Like No Other. From an outside perspective, it could be their sound was appropriated from bands like Limp Bizkit and Korn, but Testeagles took themselves far less seriously than their American counterparts. But at the same time, they also have a sound akin to hard rock Aussie acts like Grinspoon. Where ever their sound came from, it never fails to invigorate and motivate.

After being dropped by their label for undisclosed reasons, Testeagles have not released anything since this album, instead choosing to play the odd live show and national support or fesitval. It is a shame as there is a definite gap in the Australian market place for such a band to fill. And even though it has been a very long time between recordings, it would be really nice to hear something new from the band.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP, yeah, turn that shit up!

MINE

OK, now I'm really confused. I've been breathing a sigh of relief whenever the pointy stick passed this band by, because I had an idea they were another one of those American shouty-boy rawk bands that YourZ takes delight in annoying me with (YourZ sez: I take no delight in it, my love, but if you want me to, I can).

Instead, they're from Adelaide. South Australia. And they sound like they're from Sarf Lundun. Like Prodigy, innit? OK, there are some straight rock tracks that I skipped over, but I was truly getting down to that fine line where rock and electronica meet. Stunning work, boys. See you on the dance floor.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.myspace.com/testeagles

Cat Stevens - Tea For The Tillerman

2010-11-24T00:01:00.055+11:00

MINE

I fell through a hole and ended up in 1980. Sitting in my friend Karen's back room with the gang (Hi, you guys! Still reading?) where we were allowed to smoke and drink endless cups of coffee. And where this was one of the albums that had top billing on the turntable, along with Hotel California and an awful lot of reggae thanks to Karen's brother Murray.

I hadn't listened to this CD since we bought it on one of those "it's reduced so why don't we get some music" ventures to our favourite store. Shareholders, if you're looking for the reason J B Hi-Fi keeps tripling its profits year on year, look no further. But as soon as I put it on, I sang along all the way through. I know every single one of these songs, back to front and inside out. Maybe if you cut one of my ears off and held it up to your ear, you'd hear Wild World or Into White. Maybe that's just gross. Why do I think of these things? (YourZ sez: I to could ask why but at least you keep things interesting).

I'm not going to go into the semantics of how a British-born singer with Greek and Swedish ancestry happened to convert to Islam. But I will say I don't have the urge to buy anything he's produced since then.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

YOURZ

I'm not a Cat Stevens fan. There is something about his voice that has always annoyed me but I don't know what it is. I feel the same way about Bob Dylan, even though both artists sound very different to each other. But I can acknowledge Stevens is a great song writer. However, like Dylan, I prefer the versions of songs when they're covered by others.

Maybe it is because a number of these songs were force-fed to me when I was a teenager while studying music when I much prefered KISS and Deep Purple to this. What ever it is, it still makes me cringe a little.

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

For more information: http://catstevens.com/

The Sports - The Definitive Collection

2010-11-23T00:01:00.148+11:00

YOURZ

One of my favourite pieces of flat black plastic, otherwise known as vinyl, is a much-played copy of All Sports, a compilation of some of The Sports best tracks and released in 1982. (And even after all this time, this album still sounds as good as it did back then - I bet the same can't be said for a CD of the same age).

This, The Definitive Collection, with two CDs, obviously has a lot more songs than that old vinyl album and covers the entire period the band were together from 1976 to 1981, including both inspired and dubious selections for cover songs (I still can't believe they even bothered with Donovan's Sunshine Superman but love their versions of both Wedding Ring and Walk In The Room). Given the short period the band were together, their output and, more importantly, the influence they had on other artists, defines them as one of the best bands of their time.

Defined as a new wave band, an amazingly thin definition, The Sports were so much more. Smarter than the average punk rocker, more intelligent then most other bands and defiantly original, they wrote songs with enough twists and turns to mark them uniquely their own. They also knew how to write a great hook. Stephen Cummings voice is unmistakably his own (although James Reyne made a successful career out of copying his style) and the band comprised of some of the best musicians of the time. That they were signed to the same British label as Elvis Costello - Stiff Records - probably says more about them than anything else.

In the six years they were together, they gave Australian and world audiences such classic tracks as Who Listens To The Radio, Reckless, Strangers On A Train, How Come and Don't Throw Stones as well as lesser known but equally as fine tracks such as Suddenly, Black Stockings (For Chelsea) and Live Work And Play among many others. It goes without saying that if this band were British or American, particularly at the time they were performing, they would have been huge. In my mind, they still are...

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

So, I guess it's time for me to trot out my Sports story. Or really it's a Stephen Cummings story - he's the lead singer. Anyway, I worked in a bar on New Year's Eve in 1983. And anyone will tell you, it's a bummer working NYE and even more so if the people you're serving are getting legless while you stay resolutely sober. Of course, all the waitresses had begun the night sampling a little weed, as we did, but that wore off pretty quickly once we'd served our third round of cocktails.

I was keen to wrap things up pretty quickly once it hit 1984 and head off across town, where my future husband (the first one, not YourZ) was having fun at a party in the very decorative Victoria Barracks. Have I mentioned he was an Army officer? They threw great parties. So I've walked and I've walked and I've walked across town, with not a taxi in sight, when on the back streets of King's Cross I manage to hail one by leaping across the road, heedless of life or limb. To steal the cab from Stephen Cummings. And let me tell you, even though I was in awe of the man, I had no regrets, having been on my feet for hours beforehand and walking half way across the city before finding the cab. However, I'd like to take this opportunity to apologise. Sorry, Stephen. Hey, we bought this CD... hope you got a royalty or two. And I really, really like it!

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://lovetown.net/discog/sports.html (scraping the bottom of the barrel for this one)

Shuggie Otis - Inspiration Information

2010-11-22T00:01:00.057+11:00

MINE

Well, there's some funky soul in here, but most of it is kind of cool jazzy instumentals. Not the thing for intense listening, but my vote for a dinner party. I was surprised to find out this is the original of Strawberry Letter 22 - making me think The Brothers Johnson didn't do anything much to it to make it a hit.

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

YOURZ

Yet another piece of music recommended to me by a friend who used to work in a record shop whose recommendations weren't always the sort of music I would normally buy. But in the case of Inspiration Information, he got it just right.

Originally released in 1974, the prodigiously-talented Otis had spent three years creating Inspiration Information, including using the first generation of drum machines to create beats behind his creations. Shuggie did it all, from writing every track, playing all the instruments and singing to production. But this, his second album, proved to be an enigma to the times and Shuggie, once lauded as a child prodigy and destined to become a huge artist, instead became increasingly elusive and withdrawn. With this re-release in 2001, there was some hope Shuggie would shuffle off his troubled ways and come back to the world. But it wasn't meant to be.

As Mine suggests, Inspiration Information, despite some of the over-earnest noodlings, is a jazz/funk/rock hybrid perfect for a dinner party or for that slow come down after a late, late night of excess.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://luakabop.com/shuggie_otis/

Old Man River - Trust

2010-11-21T00:01:00.078+11:00

YOURZ

Phew, after the hard-as rush of Mastodon yesterday, Old Man River is like stepping outside a packed, hot, sweaty venue into the air of a cool summer evening.

Yet another associate of one of our favourites, Luke Steele, Old Man River is the stage and band name for Ohad Rein, a Sydney-based musician who first came to our attention through his association with Nations By The River, who we've previously reviewed here.

Crossing the line between pop and alt-country, Old Man River aren't trying to rewrite the popular music songbook. Instead, they're bringing a sensitivity and timelessness to what is often times a tired genre. It helps that Rein has a effortlessly pleasing voice and the ability to write tracks that stick in this listener's head for days.

And thanks to some quick thinking by Mine, it looks as though we'll be seeing him live later in the month. What a lovely way to start what looks to be a very busy few months for us on the live music front. (Mine says: always the way in the southern hemisphere summer, but who's complaining? Gorillaz here we come!!!)

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

Another in our seemingly-endless selection of "beautiful music" - which has prompted me to create a playlist for the iPod. Sleepy Jackson, M Ward, Nations By The River, Elliot Smith, Martin Craft - who else? I could go for days just listening to one gorgeous, dreamy pop song after another. My life would float by in a haze of roses and light. Soma for the ears.

I wonder how long I'd last before the need for some serious dirty rock emerged. And will this output sometime in the future make its way on to a "beautiful music" radio station? Does this mean I'm listening to the equivalent of Simon and Garfunkel? (YourZ sez: no, this is better in so many ways) Do I know what I'm talking about?

Whatever I mean, I'm glad we have this CD. Long live dreamy pop.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://trustomr.com/

Mastodon - Blood Mountain

2010-11-20T00:01:00.058+11:00

MINE

No.

God, no.

But it made me wonder if guys like this lead singer will be due to lose their vocal cords in years to come. Better lay in some serious medical insurance - don't you think?

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT

YOURZ

I'm not a big metal fan. Generally, I like my music to be more fun and less serious than a lot of metal takes itself to be. But in a few instances, a band jumps out, grabs me by my skinny neck and shakes me like a motherfucker. Mastodon is one such band.

It is a combination of the blisteringly fast riffs, the rapid time changes and the seemingly higher intellect of their lyrics that does it for me. The double pronged attack of twin guitars, riffing over the top of a machine-gun-fire snare and fat-as bass are like aural sculptures. Sure, not everyone appreciates such sculpture, but thankfully, I get this.

The other thing I like about it is they don't mess about with over-long lead guitar breaks, eschewing these for smart, whip-crack riffs that leave the listener breathless. I fucking love it! And it seems I'm not the only one, with the band gaining some big names fans in people like QOTSA front man Josh Homme, Cedric from At The Drive In and Neil Fallon from Clutch. They've toured with Metallica, Slayer and Slipknot and have garnered accolades from the metal and wider music-loving community right around the world. As they should. Blood Mountain is a metal fan's wet dream come true.

Mine, however, is probably bleeding from the ears right now...

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.mastodonrocks.com/

Kosheen - Resist

2010-11-19T00:01:00.040+11:00

MINE

Oh this is a Forgotten Gem for me... why haven't I been putting this on my workout list? It's just the sort of music I love to insipre me for one more minute on the elliptical machine. Vaguely reminding me of Moloko and Portishead - but faster - this album is chock full of great songs. Demonstrate, Catch U, Suicide - all pearls.

I'll have to say I love this primarily because of the gorgeous voice of Sian Evans, who also doesn't suck as a songwriter. Classified as trip-hop, I'd call them darker dance-pop. And magnificent.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

YOURZ

Another of those albums added to our collection through the recommendation of a friend who worked in a record shop. Thankfully, he got this one right as Resist is a great example of the genre.

While not necessarily my cup of tea (peppermint, if you please), it is the sort of music perfect for cruisy summer balcony parties while soaking up the last of the sun, just before the night (and whatever else) comes on. You know what I mean...

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

For more information: http://www.kosheen.com/home/

Killers - Hot Fuss

2010-11-18T00:01:00.081+11:00

YOURZ

Occasionally, rarely even, the top 40 market, one I studiously do my damndest to avoid, actually recognises and supports worthwhile, well-made music. The Killers is one such example. When the first singles from Hot Fuss, were first released, they were hard not to like, sounding elementally British yet rangy and sun-toughened. Given the band's hometown, this is hardly surprising, I guess.

The fact is front man Brandon Flowers, despite having a vaguely ridiculous name, looks like a rock star and actually has the talent to back up the looks. And the rest of The Killers, while maybe not quite as - pretty - as Flowers, are no less capably talented.

Thankfully, this is not an album put together around a few good singles but one that displays a certain understanding, if not adoration, of the pop song form as best exemplified by a number of 80s British bands (and there are a few to pick from or name check). Album tracks like All These Things I've Done, Glamourous Indie Rock & Roll and the rockin' Midnight Show, earmarked them as a more than the sum of their huge hit, Mr Brightside.

Listening to Hot Fuss has me thinking about whether this is yet another band whose follow up albums we should add to the list of must-haves. Over to you, Mine.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

We've gotta stop forgetting good albums like this. I can't remember the last time we played Hot Fuss just because - and it can't be that long till we play it again. Although it does have that ridiculous line in it - which song is that? I've got soul but I'm not a soldier has to be the silliest line in the best song. (YourZ sez: silly! I wish I'd written it, but then, I've been guilty of some absolute shockers in the past)

I just remember singing along to Somebody Told Me in the car when my sister-in-law and her daughter had come to visit and we were off to experience some serious retail therapy in the discount stores of Sydney, with the windows down, it was a hot day and we were just being - silly.

I can admit to being a trifle annoyed by the extent of the sonic fluffing occasionally put over the top of Brandon Flowers' vocals - because the dude can sing - but generally this is pure pop-rock heaven. From a debut album, no less.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP Vegas, baby

For more information: http://www.thekillersmusic.com/

The Hives - Your New Favourite Band

2010-11-17T00:01:00.055+11:00

YOURZ

The satorially elegant, explodingly energetic quintet from Sweden known as The Hives are nothing more than an updated version on all things garage rock. This is not criticism, this is a fact. They have the same breakneck pace, the same distorted attacks and the same lyrical playfulness as their predecessors. As a live act, they're more fun than a very large barrel of monkeys and cause massive dehydration in audiences around the world.

This collection, ostensibly a 'greatest hits' even though they'd only released one album and a few EPs prior to the release of Your New Favourite Band, this is the album that broke them around the world. The Hives recipe for success involves twin dirty guitars, a bombastic rhythm section and the vocals of aptly named Howlin Pelle Almqvist and they don't fuck with the formula.

Opening with probably their most popular track, Hate To Say I Told You So, they power through a set of songs, most coming in under the three minute mark, just like good garage punk should do. In fact, their musical assault is so relentless, most of the tracks on this collection clock in under two and half minutes. You can safely bet the word 'ballad' doesn't exist in The Hives lexicon. And nor should it. If this doesn't motivate the listener, box 'em up because they're dead.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

So not my new favourite band, I can't tell you. The opening song, which was quite big for them as I recall, is pretty cool. But the rest is a mash of same-sounding fuzz guitar and unintelligible lyrics, and not just because they're Swedish. Bah.

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT

For more information: http://www.thehivesbroadcastingservice.com/

Martin Craft - Silver And Fire

2010-11-16T00:01:00.119+11:00

MINE

I had an amazing moment listening to Siver and Fire. Firstly there was annoyance - at the thought I hadn't heard it before. You see, YourZ often tells me he's bought a CD I'd like, and I nod, and then I never listen to it. That's been the best part of this whole process, you know - moments like this. Because now I'm in love with Martin Craft.

OK, then secondly there was joy at listening to the most beautiful music, amply highlighted by the most poetic lyrics. How about When the planet spins, it sings like the wings of a dragonfly. And All he ever cried for you was a teardrop tattoo.

Thirdly my damn producer head then started analysing the sound and finding little tiny bits of fault with some of the drum tracks and wanted to make them warmer and tighter, less flat and dull. And wondering if Martin really wanted the sound like that, and then berating myself for doing this instead of just enjoying the songs as they came out. And then finally I contemplated going for an extra long drive to hear it again, all the way through.

It's all beautiful, all of it. I can't name a favourite song, but my mouth did fall open a bit in amazement at Snowbird. Starts out spare and builds and builds - before fading away. Orchestral and epic, and like the rest of the album, unforgettable.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

YOURZ

I got Silver And Fire initially out of a sense of alliegance to Martin Craft being as he is an old friend who has 'made good', whatever that means. I've already related how I met him in the Sidewinder review we did recently (see it here if you're interested). There was always a small chance it might have been crap but I was prepared to take a risk. Thankfully, crap is the one thing this isn't.

This is real beauty in music form. No, seriously... It is more than just the songs, the playing, the lyrics or Martin's voice. But it is a combination of all these things and more. From the opening title track, which slowly builds around a beautiful acoustic guitar, he has built a record that may very well be viewed in years to come with the same reverence as we view Nick Drake or Elliott Smith now. There is a confidence in both the songwriting and execution similar to both artists without Craft sacrificing any of his own style.

You Are The Music has a cheeky groove to it that becomes more and more irresitable with each listen, while Lucile (Where Did The Love Go) displays a great updated retelling of classic rock, all while maintaining a restraint not often found in a lot of music these days. Dragonfly, another slow builder, is superbly understated, something Craft seems to excel in achieving. There is so much more to like about Silver And Fire, but I think I will leave it up to you, dear readers, to find this out for yourselves.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.myspace.com/mcraftmusic

A Skillz And Krafty Kuts - Tricka Technology

2010-11-15T00:01:00.063+11:00

YOURZ

Doing some research for this review, I discovered something quite surprising - there is very little information about this album or those behind it online. This is, in equal parts, both refreshing and annoying. It means all I have to write about is the music. Given we're writing a music blog, this shouldn't be a big ask. But I like to know what the band is about before writing about them.

There is the usual intro bits that don't do a single thing to advance the album at all. I've been producing hip hop for nearly ten years now and I'm still wondering why so many artists do this. Don't they realise in-jokes only work if everyone knows the joke.

But thankfully, they are saved by some great tracks. I love the old school feel of Gimme The Breaks and Come Alive. And if you like break beats, then there are some really cool tunes on here. But my favourite is Peaches, a cruisy, Gorillaz-type groove that drops a great sample in as the hook.

I'm trying to remember exactly what drew me to buying this album and, for the life of me, I can't remember why. But I'm glad I did. This will definitely be one for the next party.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

Oh, tasty. Hip-hop beats and decent dance and some funky grooves... this is mostly gorgeous. There are a couple of more-shouty numbers, and the incessant namechecking is a bit annoying, as are those intro pieces that don't seem to have any real purpose. But mostly its grand, as I'd expect from the Brits. Sorry, but when it comes to the dance/hip-hop crossover, the UK beats the US hands down.

Best bits? The title track was recognisable as well as bouncy, Peaches has party written all over it, and Roll Over Baby had me grooving in the car on the way to work. One to pick apart for a party playlist, mos def.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.myspace.com/djaskillz and http://www.myspace.com/djkraftykuts

The Stone Roses - The Complete Stone Roses

2010-11-14T00:01:00.052+11:00

MINE

20 years ago??? Really? Wow, that's making me feel old. I mean, I remember the son of a friend returning from the UK during the Madchester times, speaking wiv a Cock-er-nee accent and affecting the baggies - totally out of place in Sydney at the time, but you know how it is when you're young and think you're following a trend.

I don't think the Roses made too much of a splash here at all, really. And while I love She Bangs the Drum and Fool's Gold, the rest of it sounds like a vaguely updated 60s party in Mayfair. Not in a bad way, but just generally inoffensive. Kind of nice. Good for a dinner party.

PS Doesn't Ian Brown look more like a monkey every year? (YourZ sez: oh, doesn't he what!)

PPS Fool's Gold is well known in radio circles in the pre-digital age as the song DJs would put on when they wanted to spend, ahem, a little more than a penny. 4:15 - long enough for most!

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

YOURZ

Are The Stone Roses a guilty pleasure? See, I'm not sure. I remember liking their first album a lot, as did a lot of the people I knew back then. But now it sounds kinda shit.

But I suppose it would have been fun to be living in a place like Manchester when the scene exploded, but I suppose the same thing about Seattle too. Then I think about how fucking cold both those places generally. Maybe this is why these scenes happened because the bands there were so desperate to make enough cash to go somewhere warm, even if only for a little while.

Hey, its a theory, okay?

I'm still partial to Fool's Gold and She Bangs The Drum, if only because these songs help define that time. I found the rest of it a bit rubbish and more of a curiosity than of any real value. Harsh maybe, but then, so would living in Manchester in the middle of winter.

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT but save those two songs.

For more information: http://www.thestoneroses20.com/

Prince And The N.P.G. - Diamonds And Pearls

2010-11-13T00:01:00.078+11:00

YOURZ

Prince is responsible for writing The Cross, one of my all time favourite songs. While I don't mind the original version, it is the cover version done by Aussies Died Pretty that blows me away. And I've only ever seen them do it live. (You can hear it here) Still, sometimes great songs need to be covered before you realise how great they are. But I've always had mixed feelings about Prince. Some of his songs, as far as I'm concerned, are near genius while others are, well, I'll be polite and say less so. Way less...

Diamonds And Pearls, unfortunately, falls in the latter realm. Most of this album, released nearly 20 years ago now, makes me cringe and want to stick my fingers in my ears. But there are a couple of cool tracks, though, like Gett Off, which is sticky sex turned into music and Cream, which is foreplay put to music. But then, he has always had a way of being able to turn the sensuous into music. But the pay off for this is having to put up with the schmaltz as well, something I'm not prepared to do. Two songs does not make an album, as far as I'm concerned, so, sorry babe, but I'm gonna vote to...

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT

MINE

Getting this album out of the drawer just made me angry. Not because of the CD - it's OK, I guess - but because it revealed to me that for the THIRD time in my life I'm going to have to buy 1999. Because it's gone, to who knows where. Did I leave it at a party? Did I lend it to someone who hasn't returned it? Whatever the reason, my favourite Prince album is gone - again. I lost it the first time in the infamous Surry Hills robbery that lost me Neneh Cherry. And it was replaced pretty soon afterwards, as I recall. But it's been a while since I dragged it out of the drawer and now it's not there (sob).

But all of this isn't telling you what I think of Diamonds and Pearls. Prince's sex album. Really, if you're playing Gett Off to anyone, you better be ready to get at least semi naked and get busy right then and there - that song isn't sexy, it sticks its hand down your pants and makes you jump. And a lot of the other songs are either about getting it on, or of staring lovingly into someone's eyes. Hip-hop fans will like Jughead and I generally only enjoy a couple of other tracks - Thunder and Cream. It's not his best - but I'd vote we also get his greatest hits albums (YourZ sez: sounds good to me), because his Royal Purpleness has done some damn fine work over the years. Not including movies, I hasten to add.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP if you're in that kind of a mood (wink wink)

For more information: http://www.last.fm/music/Prince (dude doesn't have a site - how cool is that!)

Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More

2010-11-12T00:01:00.093+11:00

MINE

This band have the honour of being the band that officially made me feel very very old. Because when I saw that they'd topped the Triple J Hottest 100 this year - I had absolutely no idea who they were. But of course, I'd heard Little Lion Man - and had kind of dismissed it. And I wonder if it would have made the top of the list if the chorus wasn't "I really fucked it up this time". Triple J is the nation's Youth radio network, after all. Ah, to be so young and rebellious, to vote for a song with "fuck" in it.

Listening to the whole album for the first time for this review, I have to say that song is the stand-out. And I'm really puzzled as to why these guys, of everyone making music today, get such plaudits. It's not that the music's not great, because it is. These guys can really play. But for a girl brought up with the folk of Joan Baez and others, there's something missing in the state of Mumford - meaning. Where's the politics? Where's the rage? It's literary and poetic - but there's no guts and all glory.

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

YOURZ

There was a lot of fuss made about Mumford & Sons when their music first hit the Australian airwaves. The Australian market has been very good to the band and Sigh No More, their debut, has so far achieved double platinum status here. This was no doubt further helped by their track, Little Lion Man, being voted top song in the Triple J Hottest 100 early this year by a considerable margin.

Often times, particularly with English acts, the music media over-hypes a band to the point where I deliberately avoid having anything to do with them. But in this case, the hype is spot on and well-deserved. Sigh No More is a fantastic, incredibly accomplished debut of twelve memorable songs that straddle the lines between folk, country and contemporary rock. And when a man like Ray Davies steps up and names the band as a favourite, you better believe they're better than good.

This is the kind of music that deserves to be played loud and live, in front of a sweaty, smiling, beer-fuelled crowd who sing the words to the sky like a gospel. It is postive, powerful and one of the most honestly uplifting pieces of music I've heard in years.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information go to http://www.mumfordandsons.com/

Van Morrison - The Best Of Van Morrison

2010-11-11T00:01:00.080+11:00

YOURZ

My first memories of Van the Man are of tracks like Brown Eyed Girl, Domino, Jackie Wilson Said and his Them classics, Gloria and Here Comes The Night, all of which featured in my parents playlists when I was a pre-teen. I remember many late night parties running on high because of these and similar tunes. Oh sure, it kept my siblings and I awake to hear the adults downstairs dancing and partying, but I'm grateful too because I got to hear these awesome, timeless songs.

He has written so many classics, it really is hard to pin down a single definitive track as a favourite. I've always loved And It Stoned Me, for its alt-country styling and that it reminded me of the type of song Bruce Springsteen would love to have written. Then there is the brilliant and beautiful Moondance. Its an absolute classic and definitely a desert island mixed tape track. The awesome horn section in Domino, which is pure Motown via North Ireland, is so good it sends a shiver up my spine just about every time I hear it. Then there is Sweet Thing, which no doubt inspired Irish bands like The Waterboys and probably will continue to for generations to come.
Oh sure, he might have a reputation for being a cranky bastard. But as far as I'm concerned, he has paid his dues and can be as curmudgeonly as he damn well pleases.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

I wish I could say I'd seen His Royal Grumpiness perform live sometime, but I haven't. And this CD is just packed with reasons to brave his famous surly performances, to hear him sing these tunes. Of course being a brown eyed girl myself I love Brown Eyed Girl - but it's a toss up between that and Domino as to my favourite tunes on the album.

But if I haven't seen Van the Man, then I can say I've seen the next best thing. It's not well known outside the Antipodes, but right here in Sydney lives reclusive 80s-and-90s defying-categorisation indie star Louis Tillett. And he does Van to a T. I had the joy of seeing him on stage during a multi-musician tribute night a few years ago, where many in the audience were whispering and nudging to see him in the flesh. it was almost as exciting as if the man himself had fronted for the evening.

What's your favourite Morrison song? I can honestly say I love all of the songs on this album WITH THE EXCEPTION of Have I Told You Lately which makes me throw up in my mouth a little - sorry about that. (YourZ sez: I feel exactly the same way about it, my love)

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.vanmorrison.com/ but there's nothing there! Van obviously despises the interwebs...

Lo Fidelity Allstars - Don't Be Afraid Of Love

2010-11-10T00:01:00.031+11:00

MINE

When I queried YourZ about the non-emergence of this CD from our collection at any time in my recollection, he maintained it was bought some years ago as a "party" album. And I guess I have Katalyst to blame for its shy hiding away, given that Dusted has been our go-to party album for some time. (YourZ sez: there hasn't been a decent contender for the title for a long time).

Or at least that's what I thought at first. This CD opens up with some damn fine kickin' dance tunes. Big beat-y and reminiscent of the Prodigy, then a touch of hip-hop followed by some sweet sweet pop - but alas there appears to be a much too high ratio of chill to dance in the second half of the album. And one more small criticism - dance tracks with loooong draaawn oooout intros annoy the hell out of me. Probably a hangover from my radio days, but I just want the music to start RIGHT NOW.

I liked Somebody Needs You a whole lot, but I reckon we just pick'n'choose the tracks we really like and then...

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT

YOURZ

Yeah, I don't really remember why I brought this album. And Mine has pretty much summed it up with her review.

To be honest, I think it might have been one of those albums recommended to me by a friend who worked in a record shop. I don't usually take anyone's recommendations at face value, particularly from sales people. I do know better but can't promise it won't happen again.

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT

For more information: http://www.myspace.com/lofiallstars

King Farook - Land Of The Horny

2010-11-09T00:01:00.043+11:00

YOURZ

I first heard about King Farook through a work mate, whose son is the lead singer in this great band. He was obviously a proud Dad and talked up the band a lot. And to be honest, I didn't take a huge amount of notice as I'd heard it all before. But then he gave me this CD. Listening to King Farook's hybrid of funk, rock, hip hop and whatever else they throw in to the mix convinced me.

Land Of The Horny is a party album in waiting, with the emphasis on party. Like a good party, this album peaks and declines, giving both band and listener a chance to catch a breath before kicking the energy up again. But it is all about the groove, about booty-shaking beats and tighter than tighty-whites instrumentation.

They've also garnered a reputation for being one of the best live bands around, somethinng I'll only be able to confirm when I see them for myself. And I guess this will be sooner than later. Stay tuned...

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

Another reason not to judge a book by its cover. I thought these guys would be yet another hip-hop act doing shouty stuff I'd hate. But instead, they're fun, funky, cheeky, rude, totally danceable and completely delightful! One for our next party. One to see live. Catch them in Sydney on the 13th of November (check the website) and hopefully we'll be there too! Sounds like a great birthday night out... over to you, my love?

VERDICT: TURN IT UP and get down

For more information: http://www.kingfarook.com/

INXS - The Swing

2010-11-08T00:01:00.038+11:00

MINE

There's possibly no other band that reflects my young adulthood better. I loved INXS - from the moment I first saw them on Countdown, performing their third single, their cover of The Loved One. For some reason I missed the first two singles, but I made up for that shortly afterwards by buying their first album and playing it to death.

Then, just before they hit worldwide, I took a trip overseas and caught up with a friend who was living in Paris. I bought her Shabooh Shoobah as a gift - some real Aussie music she wouldn't get in France. And then they first began to get some UK heat with that album and the next - the one we're reviewing right now. Of course they didn't make it big in the US till Listen Like Thieves, but their back catalogue in a lot of ways I find more full of life, more entertaining, than anything they did for the stadium crowd.

I've seen them play in a small pub in Canberra, when all my girlfriends thought Michael Hutchence was ugly, because he was rather a spotty-faced youth back then. Having suffered badly from acne myself, I just looked at the charisma. I met my first husband at an INXS gig at the Uni bar in Canberra. One of my friends was working at a Sydney bar where Michael got into a lot of strife by turning up wasted and pulling the "Don't you know who I am?" deal with the bouncer who wasn't about to let him in. And I was working on radio the day he was found dead in his Sydney hotel room. That hurt.

Although YourZ and I watched the TV show the band put on to "find their new lead singer" and thoroughly enjoyed it, INXS without Michael just isn't INXS. Sorry, guys.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

YOURZ

In the 70s, I lived on the northern beaches of Sydney, the same area where bands like Midnight Oil and INXS first started. I remember sneaking into the Royal Antler hotel at Narrabeen to see the Oils perform a blistering set. I don't recall if INXS supported them at this gig but to be honest, I wasn't really interested in any one else other than the Oils. But INXS got there start doing lots of supports with them, so it is feasible they were on the same bill that night. It wasn't until some years later that I 'discovered' them for myself.

Like Mine, this discovery started when I heard The Loved One. Not too long after, I got a copy of their first compilation, INXSIVE, featuring their first singles as well as highlights from their first two albums. Listening to this compilation and their third album, Shaboo Shoobah, sold me completely on the band. The follow up, The Swing, was every bit as good as their previous but even more so. By now, the band had developed a sound and style completely their own and, as it usually goes, spawned a whole bunch of imitators. But none of those could hold a candle to INXS.

The Swing was the first album the band recorded overseas, enlisting the production skills of Nile Rodgers for the first single, Original Sin, and Nick Launay for the rest of the album. It became their first major hit album, both in Australia and overseas and produced some of their most enduring hits with tracks like Dancing On The Jetty, I Send A Message and the title track. And while the follow-up, Listen Like Thieves, is considered the album that broke them world wide, for me, it is the raw energy of both Shaboo Shoobah and The Swing that I still find unbeatable.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.inxs.com/

In our collection, we also have Shaboo Shoobah

The Church - Deep In The Shallows: Classic Singles Collection

2010-11-07T00:01:00.038+11:00

YOURZ

With the recent sad death of former member of The Models, James Freud, I've been looking back at some of the music I loved when I was a young man. Of course, The Models were a big favourite (as I've already said in our review here) but right up there was bands like INXS, who we'll be reviewing later this week, and The Church.

Of all the bands I loved back then, though, it was The Church who influenced me the most. I distinctly remember being blown away by The Unguarded Moment as a very impressionable teenager. It is still one of my favourite songs. Steve Kilbey and co not only sounded like a band I wanted to be a part of but looked like I wanted to look too, kohl-eyed and wearing stove pipe jeans, paisley shirts and winkle-picker boots. I dressed that way for quite a number of years. But grunge and all it encompassed, put paid to that look.

Then there is the elegantly simple beauty of Under The Milky Way, a song I learnt as soon as I heard it and have played many times, both for my pleasure and for a paying audience. It is the kind of track songwriters wish they could write, one that will remain a timeless treasure.

But this definitive collection is much more than the sum of these two songs. It stretches the length of their career, from first album, Of Skins And Heart, released in 1981, to Uninvited, In The Clouds, released in 2006. Listening to these tracks, I can't help but feel the same sense of wanting to be a part of it as I did when I first heard tracks like Almost With You, When You Were Mine and Tantalized. I will admit that I don't carry the same torch for them as I did back then. I think it burnt out after their 1990 release, Gold Afternoon Fix, which contained the wonderful Metropolis. But like a long lost love, they've never been far from my thoughts. And this collection only serves to remind me of those beautiful lost days long ago.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

I've never really been a Church fan - not that I didn't like the music, just that I didn't go out of my way to buy their albums. Which is kind of weird, because I've always been the sort of person who purchases music put out by friends and aquaintances - you know, a kind of gesture of solidarity. It's led to more than one dud in the collection!

And yes, I do have a vague personal connection to the Church. You see, the final two years of high school in Canberra are separate from the first four, and is consolidated in what are called Colleges. I went to a college that most of my high school didn't go to. But I spent a fair amount of time socialising with them still, and that brought me into contact with a guy called Russell, who is the brother of Steve, who is the lead singer of the Church. OK? I've also just found out thanks to Wikipedia that a guy who went out with my best friend in high school also played keyboards on two of their albums, so that's another link.

Anyway, I hadn't listened to the double CD before today, and there are a lot of singles on it that just passed me by. I love their breakthrough hit, Unguarded Moment, and remember going to see them just after that came out. Almost With You, Tantalized, Under the Milky Way and Metropolis are all familiar - but the rest are drawing a blank. Not a bad blank, some sound terriffic - but not as good.

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

For more information: http://www.thechurchband.com/

Bananarama - The Greatest Hits Collection

2010-11-06T00:01:00.041+11:00

MINE

That screaming you hear? That would be my dear husband, who believes that listening to Bananarama is akin to musical torture. I, on the other hand, am quite fond of this collection, coming from their heyday in the 80s. It's just pop bubble and fluff, I'll grant you that. But it's fun - in the same way Kylie and Madge and all those other girlies are fun.

I will say there are a few songs on the collection that leave me cold, but who doesn't like getting out on the dancefloor to Venus? I love some of the slower ones like Robert De Niro's Waiting and Cruel Summer - Shy Boy gets me singing too.

But I think the best thing about Bananarama is their reputation as a bunch of party girls. I remember an anecdote told by Triple J DJ Maynard F# Crabbes, who said he'd been getting down with the band at a Kings Cross nightclub some time in the mid 80s, but lost track of them some time during the evening. When he left to catch a taxi home in the early hours, he tripped over them - sitting in the gutter with one (he didn't say which) having a "monumental spew". And then cleaning up quickly to appear on breakfast radio somewhere else. Go, girls.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

YOURZ

Yep, Mine got it right.

Let me put it this way, listening to the little bits and pieces of this collection (and believe me, I tried, folks, I really tried) was like jabbing very sharp objects in my ears. I just wanted to scrape it all out, put it in a box, take the box for a long drive into the distant hills and bury it a deep hole where it could never get out and torture me again.

Of course, Mine happens to like it, damn it all. So it will stay. But I refuse to listen to it again. This is one you can play when I'm not at home, darling. Please!

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT

For more information: http://www.bananarama.co.uk/

The Triffids - Love In Bright Landscapes

2010-11-05T00:01:00.095+11:00

YOURZ

Regrets, I have a few, but then too few to mention...

Actually, one of the few, now that I mention it, is that I never got the chance to see The Triffids. I had a few chances too, let me tell you. But for some reason or other (probably involving too much of a good time elsewhere) I never took the opportunity, instead probably dismissing the idea with glib thoughts that I will see them 'later on'. Of course, that later time never came. The death of David McComb a decade ago, at the way too young age of 37, means that despite the rest of the band still being around, the voice, that voice, the one that wrote all the songs that made The Triffids what they are, will never be heard again.

There is so much about The Triffids sound that is quintessentially Australian but in such a way that only the most astute observer would understand. This is what make them unique in the annuls of Australian music. They were more than just a great band playing some of the best songs this wide brown land has produced, they carried the flag around the world, and in doing so thankfully corrupted the view that we are a nation of drunken loud-mouthed misogynistic yobs.

But I'm ashamed to say I've never actually owned any of their albums. I lived in plenty of share houses where their music was often played, but I never owned any myself. To be honest, I feel a little sick about this because listening to Love In Bright Landscapes, I got a clear reminder of why I love music so much: it is because (and I am probably misquoting someone here, so I apologise in advance) music is the sound of feeling. And The Triffids were able to feel so very much.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

It seems a heresy to see a Triffids anthology that doesn't include Wide Open Road, but this particular collection pulls together the hits of this quintessentially Australian band right up until the moment they released their landmark album, Born Sandy Devotional. And it's in our collection because I bought it. And I bought it because it has my favourite Triffids song on it - My Baby Thinks She's A Train. And I love that because the lyrics are so nonsensical, but at the same time poignant. Does he really mean she's going crazy? She's hearing voices and doesn't know the difference between pleasure and pain.

But listening to this collection today made me wonder exactly what it is that makes the Triffids embody that essence of Australian music - although there's no doubt they do, just as the Go-Betweens did at much the same time, and as Paul Kelly manages to do over and over. There's a sense of space and light in some of the songs. A sense of realism, which the harsh Australian sun forces upon our landscape. (I guess the collection's title wasn't chosen lightly.) There's a feeling of almost-country in the songwriting - and is that born from the endless driving between towns and more towns that bands do here, to get their songs heard?

Whatever it is, I haven't played this collection often enough. It's definitely one for the next road trip - when I get to see that bright landscape with the best soundtrack I could imagine for it.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.thetriffids.com/

The Stranglers - Hits And Heroes

2010-11-04T00:01:00.099+11:00

MINE

I'm sure there are quite a few people around the world who went tearing out to buy some Stranglers when Golden Brown was such a hit, only to discover that's not what they sound like at all. But I was a fan from back in the day - loving Peaches, (Get A) Grip (On Yourself) and Hanging Around. In fact, I remember having heated discussions at the time of Golden Brown, wondering why they'd had such a departure of form.

But I have to class the Stranglers as "boy music" in my lexicon, simply because they're a band whose records have been in the collection of most the men I've had relationships with - but they haven't ever made it into my own. And apart from the big hits, I'm not that thrilled with the rest of the CD.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP but only for the best bits

YOURZ

Recently, Mine and YourZ (truly) were discussing this album and I made a rather big, rash statement by saying The Stranglers, along with The Clash, were the only two British punk bands I liked. Thinking about this later, I realised how wrong I was (yes, I can admit my mistakes, now move on, nothing to see!) (Mine says: first time for everything, eh?)

Of course, there are plenty of British punk bands I like. But it is down to definition of what punk is as there are plenty of bands who are defined as punk but who wouldn't hit that target even if they tried. Again, it's all about trying to box art with neat little labels, which is virtually impossible and, for me anyway, completely unncessary. Perhaps I should have said that The Clash and The Stranglers are favourites rather than what I actually said. This'll teach me for making rash statements.

Anyway, Hits And Heroes is a Forgotten Gem, of sorts and covers the band's first half dozen albums. It has been some time since I'd heard this and I enjoyed it so much, I hit repeat and let it play all over again. There are so many great tracks on this, it's hard to know where to start. True survivors (albeit with a couple of lineup changes) and still going after 35 or more years, The Meninblack, as they are fondly known (due to their penchant for always wearing black), are another of those bands who not only inspired fans and fellow musicians at the time, but who fearlessly incorporated a broad pallet of styles into their sound, all tied neatly together with their trademark swirling keyboard lines.

While most would be familiar with their huge hit, Golden Brown, it's earlier tracks like Peaches, (Get A) Grip (On Yourself), Hanging Around and Nice 'n' Sleazy that get me rocking. However, as a compilation, there is not a dud track on Hits And Heroes. And their cover of Bacharach's Walk On By has to be one of the most faithful yet original interpretations I've ever heard.

But is it really punk? As far as I'm concerned, it's as punk as you want it to be.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information go to http://www.stranglers.net/

Max Sharam - A Million Year Girl

2010-11-03T00:01:00.070+11:00

YOURZ

Doing this review is the first time I've heard anything by Max Sharam. In fact, up until I started doing a little research for this review, I had no idea she was Australian. But then, hers isn't exactly the kind of music I'm likely to seek out.

Listening to A Million Year Girl, and despite its apparent success when it was released in 1995, the only tracks I recognised, apart from the cover of Melanie's Lay Down, was the single Coma and even then, my recognition was vague at best, kind of like I'd heard it in the background a number of times but was never moved enough to find out who it was.

While not offensive, this is still how I feel about this album - nice and innocuous in the background but containing nothing at all that excites me.

VERDICT: TURN IT DOWN

MINE

Two songs into Million Year Girl and I was about to call it a Forgotten Gem. But it didn't sparkle as much as I'd thought.

Max has an amazing voice, capable of the hugest swoops and slides, and she doesn't do any of that nauseating twiddling that it seems every R&B diva has to do these days. Have I said that before? Probably. Sorry if I'm getting repetitive.

Anyway, I love the first half of the album, with Be Firm and Coma leading it out strongly. Purple Flowers always reminds me of Sydney in springtime, when the jacaranda blossoms in every second backyard. Her rendering of Lay Down (Candles in the Rain) is another lovely sing-along, and I was amazed at her version of Is it Okay if I Call You Mine? when this album came out, because I thought I was the only person who even knew about that gorgeous song from Fame. Jezu's Jewellery and Hunting Ground are OK, but the rest of the album's a bit of a loss.

I have seen her perform live, well before this album was released, doing her semi-regular gig at Kinselas, an inner-Sydney bar I frequented in the early 90s. She did a version of Minnie Riperton's Loving You that silenced the room, because when she got to that high falsetto bit (it's about 0:56 on that video) she didn't even try to sing it, she just SCREAMED. Priceless.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP then down...

For more information: http://www.maxsharam.com/